Deuterium enriched analogues of tadalafil as pde5 inhibitors

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to derivatives of tadalafil, substituted with fluorine on the methylene carbon atom situated between the oxygens of the benzodioxol ring, and optionally further substituted with deuterium atoms in place of normally abundant hydrogen, and  13 C in place of normally abundant  12 C. These compounds are selective PDE5 inhibitors and possess advantageous biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic properties. The invention further provides compositions comprising these compounds and methods of treating diseases and conditions that are responsive to PDE5 inhibition, alone and in combination with additional agents.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/704,555, filed Feb. 8, 2007, now allowed, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/498,305,filed Jul. 31, 2006, which claims benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication 60/703,570, filed Jul. 29, 2005, and U.S. provisionalapplication 60/703,612, filed Jul. 29, 2005. The contents of each of theforegoing application is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to derivatives novel isotopologues oftadalafil, (also referred to herein as “Compound 1”), substituted withfluorine and/or deuterium on the methylene carbon atom situated betweenthe oxygens of the benzodioxol ring, optionally further substituted withdeuterium atoms in place of normally abundant hydrogen, and ¹³C in placeof normally abundant ¹²C. The compounds of this invention are selectiveinhibitors of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterasetype 5 (PDE5) and possess unique biopharmaceutical and pharmacokineticproperties compared to tadalafil. The invention further providescompositions comprising a compound of this invention and the use of suchcompositions in methods of treating diseases and conditions beneficiallytreated by PDE5 inhibition, particularly those relating to sexualdysfunction. The invention also provides methods for the use of adeuterium- or ¹³C -containing compound of this invention to determineconcentrations of Compound 1, particularly in biological fluids, and todetermine metabolism patterns of Compound 1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Compounds of Formula I have been disclosed as potent and medicallyuseful inhibitors of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specificphosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5). Daugan A C-M, U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,006to ICOS; Daugan A C-M and Gellibert F, U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,746 to ICOS:

or salts of solvates thereof, in which: R⁰ represents hydrogen, halogenor C₁₋₆ alkyl; R¹ represents hydrogen, C₁₋₆ alkyl, C₂₋₆ alkenyl, C₂₋₆alkynyl, haloC₁₋₆ alkyl, C₃₋₈cycloalkyl, C₃₋₈cycloalkyl, C₁₋₃alkyl,arylC₁₋₃alkyl, wherein aryl is phenyl or phenyl substituted with one tothree substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, C₁₋₆alkyl, C₁₋₆ alkoxy, methylenedioxy, and mixtures thereof, orheteroarylC₁₋₃alkyl, wherein heteroaryl is thienyl, furyl, or pyridyl,each optionally substituted with one to three substituents selected fromthe group consisting of halogen, C₁₋₆ alkyl, C₁₋₆ alkoxy, and mixturesthereof; R² represents an optionally substituted mono-cyclic aromaticring selected from benzene, thiophene, furan and pyridine or an optioneach of which are incorporated herein in their entirety ally substitutedbicyclic ring

attached to the rest of the molecule via one of the benzene ring carbonatoms and wherein the fused ring A is a 5- or 6-membered ring which maybe saturated or partially or fully unsaturated and comprises carbonatoms and optionally one or two heteroatoms selected from oxygen,sulfur, and nitrogen; and R³ represents hydrogen or C₁₋₃ alkyl, or R¹ orR³ together represents a 3- or 4-membered alkyl or alkenyl chaincomponent of a 5- or 6-membered ring.

Compound 1, chemically described variously aspyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione,6-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2,3,6,7,12,12a-hexahydro-2-methyl-, (6R,12aR)-;as(6R,12aR)-6-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione;and as(6R,12aR)-2,3,6,7,12,12a-hexahydro-2-methyl-6-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)pyrazino[2′,1′:6,1]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione;

comprises a particularly important example of this genus.

Compound 1 and pharmaceutical compositions comprising it have utilityboth alone and, for certain conditions, in combination with additionalagents, for the treatment of: erectile dysfunction, stable, unstable andvariant angina, hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome,malignant hypertension, pheochromocytoma, congestive heart failure,acute renal failure, chronic renal failure, atherosclerosis, conditionsof reduced blood vessel patency, peripheral vascular diseases, vasculardisorders, thrombocythemia, inflammatory diseases, myocardialinfarction, stroke, bronchitis, chronic asthma, allergic asthma,allergic rhinitis, glaucoma, peptic ulcer, gut motility disorders,postpercutaneous transluminal coronary or carotid angioplasty,post-bypass surgery graft stenosis, osteoporosis, preterm labor, benignprostatic hypertrophy, and irritable bowel syndrome, in humans and inanimals; erectile dysfunction in male humans and animals; and femalearousal disorder in females. Daugan A C-M and Gellibert F, U.S. Pat. No.6,143,746 to ICOS; Daugan A C-M, U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,329 to ICOS; DauganA C-M, U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,006 to ICOS; Anderson NR and Gullapalli RP,U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,167 to Lilly Icos; Allemeier L L et. al., U.S. Pat.No. 6,613,768 to Lilly Icos.

Definitions and descriptions of these conditions are known to theskilled practitioner and are further delineated, for instance, in theabove patents and references contained therein; Harrison's Principles ofInternal Medicine 16th Edition, Kasper D L et. al. Eds., 2004,McGraw-Hill Professional; and Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis ofDisease, Kumar V et. al. Eds., 2004, W. B. Saunders. Compound 1 iscurrently indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. UnitedStates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) New Drug Application (NDA) no.021368; see label approved on Mar. 31, 2005;http://www.fda.gov/cder/foi/label/2005/021368s004,005lbl.pdf.

The combination of Compound 1 with additional agents extends or enhancesits utility in the treatment of sexual deficient states in humans,including those with epilepsy, craniopharyngioma, hypogonadism, or whohave had a hysterectomyoophorectomy, hysterectomy or oophorectomy; andto the induction of mating in non-human animals. McCall R B andMeglasson M D, U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,127 to Pharmacia & Upjohn; McCall R Band Meglasson M D, U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,945 to Pharmacia & Upjohn; McCallR B and Meglasson M D, U.S. Pat. No. 6,809,112 to Pharmacia & Upjohn.See also Shapira N, US Patent Application 20040009957; Adams M A et. al.US Patent Application 20040063719, Queen's University at Kingston andCallegy Pharmaceuticals Applicants; Fox DNA and Hughes B, US PatentApplications 20040077624 and 20040132731; Hepworth D, US PatentApplication 20040180958, Pfizer Applicant; Kalvinish I et. al. US PatentApplication 20040242590; US Patent Applications 20030225060,20040097546, 20040204398, and 20040266821, Merck Applicant; Thomas T N,US Patent Application 20050009835; Bictash M N et. al., US PatentApplication 20050049255, Pfizer Applicant; Chiang P et. al. US PatentApplications 20030125334, 20050020604, 20050032809, and 20050054656,Pfizer Applicant; Santel D J, US Patent Application 20050101608; andGhofrani A, US Patent Application 20050107394.

Additionally disclosed uses for Compound 1 include methods of treatingmales with low sperm count to promote fertilization of an ovum;combinations with additional agents to treat hyperglycemia,hyperinsulinaemia, hyperlipidaemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes,insulin resistance, impaired glucose metabolism, conditions of impairedglucose tolerance (IGT), conditions of impaired fasting plasma glucose,obesity, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, glomerulosclerosis,diabetic neuropathy, syndrome X, coronary heart disease, anginapectoris, vascular restenosis, and endothelial dysfunction; methods ofreducing insulin resistance and preventing ischemia/reperfusion injury;combinations with other agents to treat depression, epilepsy, faintnessattacks, hypokinesia, cranial disorders, neurodegenerative disorders,anxiety, panic, pain, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep disorders,osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathological disorders,visceral pain, functional bowel disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases,pain associated with dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, cystitis, pancreatitis,cyclical oedema, Menires disease, hyperaldosteroneism (primary andsecondary), hypercalciuria and lower urinary tract symptoms, other thanurinary incontinence, associated with overactive bladder and/or benignprostatic hyperplasia; methods for stimulating ovarian folliculargrowth, for preventing or treating a condition involving fibrosis, andfor alleviating pain or spasticity in a patient suffering from spinalcord injury. Quay S C, World Patent Application WO2004069167, NastechApplicant; Cohen D S, US Patent Application 20030139429; Lautt W W andMacedo P, US Patent Application 20030181461; Kukreja R, US PatentApplication 20040009957; Patrick J and Davis M, US Patent Application20050143314; Nonaka S and Maruyama T, US Patent Application 20040082653;Rawson D J, US Patent Application 20040132801, Warner-Lambert Applicant;Dack K N et. al., US Patent Application 20040138274, Warner-LambertApplicant; Field M J and Williams R G, US Patent Applications20040092522 and 20040157847, Warner-Lambert Applicant; Westbrook S L andZanzinger J F, US Patent Application 20040167095; Taylor C P Jr et. al.,US Patent Application 20040180958, Warner-Lambert Applicant; Burgess GM, US Patent Application 20040186046, Pfizer Applicant; Palmer S S et.al. US Patent Application 20040259792; Lautt W W, US Patent Application20050049293; Gonzalez-Cadavid, N F and Rajfer J, US Patent Application20050085486; Takasaka S, US Patent Application 20050107405,Warner-Lambert Applicant; and Lautt W W and Macedo P, US PatentApplication 20050119272, DiaMedica Applicant.

Compound 1 has been characterized by in vitro inhibition studies ofhuman cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific phosphodiesterases and hasbeen demonstrated to have high potency and selectivity for the type 5isoform over other human phosphodiesterases. In cultured rat aorticsmooth muscle cells, Compound 1 dose-dependently increases intracellularconcentrations of cGMP. For example, see Porst H, Int. J. Impot. Res.2002 14(Suppl 1): S57; Daugan A et. al. J. Med. Chem. 2003 46: 4533;Daugan A C-M and Gellibert F, U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,746 to ICOS. PDEsubtype selectivity is believed to be clinically important due to thepotential for side effects associated with inhibition of other PDEs. Forinstance, inhibition of the PDE6 and possibly PDE1 subtypes are believedto cause the flushing, disrupted color vision and headaches clinicallyassociated with less selective inhibitors (see, for instance, BischoffE, Int. J. Impot. Res. 2004 16(Suppl. 1): S11; Kuan J and Brock G,Expert Opin. Investig. Drugs 2002 11: 1605).

Compound 1 has also been characterized in the spontaneous rathypertension model as causing significant and long-lived blood pressurereduction following oral dosing. See e.g. Daugan A et. al., J. Med.Chem. 2003 46: 4533.

In multiple human clinical studies in males with mild to severe erectiledysfunction, treatment with Compound 1 resulted in highly significantpatient-reported increases in penetration ability and ability tomaintain erection during intercourse versus treatment with placebo.These benefits were observed in a wide cross section of patientsincluding those suffering from spinal cord injuries or diabetes. See,e.g. Giuliano F et. al. Eur. Urol. 2000 37(Suppl. 2): Abst. 320; Bella AJ and Brock G B, Curr. Urol. Rep. 2003 4: 472; Del Popolo G et. al.Spinal Cord. 2004 42: 643; Fonseca V et. al., Diabetologia 2004 47:1914. Studies comparing patient preferences between Compound 1 andanother commercial PDE5 inhibitor have consistently indicated astatistically significant preference for Compound 1, which has beensuggested to be due to the longer pharmacological half life of Compound1 providing a greater window of opportunity for sexual spontaneity. SeeDoggrell S A, Expert Opin. Pharmacother. 2005 6: 75; Stroberg P et. al.,Clin. Ther. 2003 25: 2724; Govier F, Clin. Ther. 2003 25: 2709; Porst H,Int. J. Impot. Res. 2002 14(Suppl. 1): S57.

Following oral administration to humans, Compound 1 is well absorbed,followed by extensive oxidative and phase II metabolism with only aminor amount of Compound 1 being excreted unchanged (FDA NDA no. 02368,label approved on Mar. 31, 2005). The major metabolic pathway proceedsby initial oxidative cleavage of the benzodioxol ring to forming acatechol metabolite. Subsequent phase II metabolism ensues, includingmainly methylation and glucuronidation; see Scheme I. In vitromeasurements indicate that these metabolites do not contribute to theclinical activity of Compound 1. When Compound 1 is dosed concurrentlywith inhibitors of cytochrome 3A4 (CYP3A4), clinically meaningfulincreases in the half-life and exposure of Compound 1 measured as areaunder the plasma-time concentration curve (AUC) occur, leading to lowerlabeled dosing recommendations in patients taking such medications.

Burgess G M et. al., US Patent Application 20040186046, Pfizer Inc.Applicant (“the '046 application”), discloses PDE5 inhibitors, includingCompound 1, and all isotopic variants thereof, as being useful to treatdiabetes. The '046 application suggests that substitution of PDE5inhibitors with isotopes, such as deuterium, may afford certaintherapeutic advantages resulting from greater metabolic stability, suchas increased in vivo half-life or reduced dosage requirements. The '046application does not teach which PDE5 inhibitors, nor what portion ofany particular PDE5 inhibitor, should be substituted with isotopes inorder to produce greater metabolic stability.

It is therefore desirable to create a compound displaying the beneficialactivities of Compound 1, but with a reduced rate of metabolism tofurther extend its pharmacological effective life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problems set forth above by providing acompound of Formula II:

or a prodrug or a prodrug salt thereof, or a solvate or polymorph of theforegoing, wherein:

X¹ and X² are simultaneously fluoro; or X¹ is deuterium and X² isselected from hydrogen or deuterium;

each Y is independently selected from deuterium or hydrogen;

the hydrogen attached to the indole nitrogen is optionally replaced bydeuterium; and

each carbon is independently optionally replaced by ¹³C.

In one embodiment, X¹ and X² are simultaneously hydrogen, producing acompound of Formula IIII:

In one preferred embodiment of Formula III, the compound has theformula:

or a prodrug or a prodrug salt thereof, or a solvate, hydrate orpolymorph of the foregoing, wherein the naturally abundant hydrogenattached to the indole nitrogen is not replaced by deuterium and whereinno naturally abundant carbon atoms are replaced by ¹³C.

In another preferred embodiment of Formula III, at least one Y isdeuterium.

In another embodiment, X¹ is deuterium and X² is hydrogen or deuterium,resulting in a compound of the formula:

or a prodrug or prodrug salt thereof; or a hydrate, solvate or polymorphthereof; wherein:

D is deuterium; Y is deuterium or hydrogen; each hydrogen is optionallyand independently replaced with deuterium and each carbon is optionallyand independently replaced with ¹³C.

A preferred embodiment of formula IV is a compound wherein Y isdeuterium.

Another preferred embodiment is prodrug salt of a compound of formula IVwherein the counterion of the saltable prodrug is pharmaceuticallyacceptable.

The compounds of Formulae II, III and IV possess both alteredphysicochemical properties and great stability to benzodioxol ringcleavage by CYP3A4 due to the presence of fluorine and, in the case ofdeuterium-containing compounds of Formulae II, III and IV, replacementof hydrogen by deuterium. These novel compounds thus have beneficiallyenhanced pharmacological effects as compared to Compound 1. Compounds ofFormulae II, III and IV, and compositions comprising them, are useful toreduce or ameliorate the severity, duration, or progression, or enhancefunction compromised by a disorder beneficially treated by inhibitingPDE5, or by increasing intracellular cGMP concentrations. Preferredapplications for compounds of Formulae II, III and IV include methods ofuse in treating sexual disorders, more preferably erectile dysfunctionand female arousal disorder; and cardiovascular disorders.

Fluorination has unpredictable effects on the biological activity ofcompounds in which it is incorporated in place of hydrogen; see e.g.Smart B E, J. Fluorine Chem. 2001 109: 3 and Ismail F M D, J. FluorineChem. 2002 118: 27. This is due to the exceedingly highelectronegativity of fluorine relative to hydrogen, and thesignificantly larger van der Waals volume of fluorine in a C—F bondrelative to hydrogen in a C—H bond.

2,2-Difluorinated benzodioxols are known and have been incorporated intobioactive agents, but to date are not constituents in any human drugs ofwhich applicant is aware. See for instance Shimizu M and Hiyama T,Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed. 2005 44: 214. Their synthetic manipulation isknown (e.g. see Schlosser M et. al. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2003: 452) butthe majority of known 2,2-difluorobenzodioxols possesselectron-withdrawing substituents which serve to stabilize thedifluoromethylenedioxy ring to hydrolytic cleavage. Indeed, in somecases 2,2-difluorobenzodioxols bearing even mildly electron donatingsubstituents such as alkyl groups are known to resist purification bystandard silica gel chromatography due to their extreme instability; seee.g. Kuroboshi M and Hiyama T, Synlett 1994: 251.

Surprisingly, a fluorine-containing compound of Formula II or III issufficiently stable to allow ready synthetic access. It alsobeneficially retains high affinity for PDE5, as well as substantialseparation of that activity from inhibition of other PDE enzymes, inparticular PDE1 and PDE6, and actively increases intracellular cGMP inarterial and corpous cavernosum smooth muscle.

Incorporation of deuterium in place of hydrogen is known to producesignificant effects on the physiological and pharmacological activitiesof the substituted compound. For instance, N-nitrosamines substitutedwith deuterium can display increased, decreased, or unchangedcarcinogenicity depending on where in the compound hydrogen is replacedwith deuterium and on the identity of the compound to whichsubstitutions are made (Lijinsky W et. al. Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 198220: 393; Lijinsky W et. al. JCNI 1982 69: 1127). Similarly, bothincreases and decreases in bacterial mutagenicity ofdeuterium-substituted aza-amino acids are known, depending on theidentity of the amino acid derivative and position of substitution(Mangold J B et. al. Mutation Res. 1994 308: 33). Reduced hepatotoxicityof certain deuterium-substituted compounds is known (Gordon W P et. al.Drug Metab. Dispos.1987 15: 589; Thompson D C et. al. Chem. Biol.Interact. 1996 101: 1). Deuterium substitution can affect compound'sodors (Turin L, Chem. Senses 1996 21: 773) and plasma protein binding(Echmann M L et. al. J. Pharm. Sci. 1962 51: 66; Cherrah Y. et. al.Biomed. Environm. Mass Spectrom. 1987 14: 653; Cherrah Y. et. al.Biochem. Pharmacol. 1988 37: 1311). Changes in the biodistribution andclearance of certain deuterium-substituted compounds suggests changes intheir recognition by active transport mechanisms (Zello G A et. al.Metabolism 1994 43: 487; Gately S J et. al. J. Nucl. Med. 1986 27: 388;Wade D, Chem. Biol. Interact. 1999 117: 191).

Replacement of hydrogen with deuterium at sites subject to oxidativemetabolism by, for instance, heme proteins such as cytochrome P450 andperoxidase enzymes, is known in certain, but not all, cases to produce asignificant reduction in the rate of metabolism due to the primaryisotope effect of breaking the C—¹H versus C—²H bond (see, e.g.,Guengerich F P et. al. J. Biol. Chem. 2002 277: 33711; Kraus, J A andGuengerich, F P, J. Biol. Chem. 2005 280: 19496; Mitchell K H et. al.,Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2003 109: 3784; Nelson S D and Trager W F,Drug Metab. Dispos. 2003 31: 1481; Hall L R and Hanzlik, R P J. Biol.Chem. 1990 265: 12349; Okazaki O. and Guengerich F P J. Biol. Chem. 268,1546; Iwamura S et. al. J. Pharmacobio-Dyn. 1987 10: 229). If the C—Hbond breaking step is rate-limiting a substantial isotope effect can beobserved. If other steps determine the overall rate of reaction, theisotope effect may be insubstantial. In cases where a rate limiting stepof a reaction involves rehybridization of the attached carbon from sp2to sp3, deuterium substitution often creates a negative isotope effect,speeding up the reaction rate. Introducing deuterium into a compound ata site subject to enzymatic oxidation does not predictably produce asignificant pharmacokinetic change. See for instance Mamada K et. al.Drug Metab. Dispos. 1986 14: 509; Streeter A J et. al. Arch. Toxicol.1990 64: 109; Morgan D S et. al., Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 199365(1 Suppl.): 5139.

Although incorporation of deuterium into specific organic compounds canchange their pharmacological properties, general exposure to andincorporation of deuterium is safe within levels potentially achieved byuse of compounds of this invention as medicaments. For instance, theweight percentage of hydrogen in a mammal (approximately 9%) and naturalabundance of deuterium (approximately 0.015%) indicates, for instance,that an average adult US male normally contains approximately 1.2 gramsof deuterium (see e.g. Harper V W et. al. “Review of PhysiologicalChemistry” 16^(th) Edition, 1977, Lange Medical Publications; Ogden C Let. al. CDC Adv. Data 2004 347: 1;www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf).Furthermore, replacement of up toabout 15% of normal hydrogen with deuterium has been effected andmaintained for a period of days to weeks in mammals, including rodentsand dogs, with minimal observed adverse effects (Czajka D M and Finkel AJ, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1960 84: 770; Thomson J F, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci1960 84: 736; Czakja D M et. al., Am. J. Physiol. 1961 201: 357). Higherdeuterium concentrations, usually in excess of 20%, can be toxic inanimals. However, acute replacement of as high as 15%-23% of thehydrogen in humans' fluids with deuterium was found not to causetoxicity (Blagojevic N et. al. in “Dosimetry & Treatment Planning forNeutron Capture Therapy”, Zamenhof R, Solares G and Harling O Eds. 1994.Advanced Medical Publishing, Madison WI pp. 125-134.). These authorsreport a clinical protocol in their practice involving oraladministration of up to 1 liter per day of deuterated water (D₂O) for upto 5 days, followed by intravenous administration of 4 liters ofdeuterated water prior to radiation procedures; this deuterated water isreadily incorporated throughout the body beyond the fluid compartment,including in glucose and glycogen, fats, and cholesterol and thus cellwalls (e.g. see Diabetes Metab. 1997 23: 251). In a 70 kg human male,15% replacement of the hydrogen in the fluid compartment with deuteriumcorresponds to incorporation of approximately 1 kg of deuterium or theequivalent of approximately 5 kg of deuterated water. These quantitiesare orders of magnitude beyond the conceived level of administration ofany of the deuterium-containing compounds of this invention.

Deuterium tracers including deuterium-labeled drugs and doses, in somecases repeatedly, of thousands to tens of thousands of milligrams ofdeuterated water, are also used in healthy humans of all ages includingneonates and pregnant women, without reported incident (e.g. Pons G andRey E, Pediatrics 1999 104: 633; Coward W A et. al., Lancet 1979 7: 13;Schwarcz H P, Control. Clin. Trials 1984 5(4 Suppl): 573; Eckhardt C Let. al. Obes. Res. 2003 11: 1553; Rodewald L E et. al., J. Pediatr. 1989114: 885; Butte N F et. al. Br. J. Nutr. 1991 65: 3; MacLennan A H et.al., Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1981 139: 948). Thus, it is clear that anydeuterium released, for instance, during the metabolism of thedeuterium-containing compounds of this invention poses no health risk.

The compounds of this invention display reduced rates of oxidativemetabolism as compared with the medically important Compound 1. This isexpected to further extend the pharmacological lifetime of a therapeuticdose of compounds of this invention with respect to a similar dose ofCompound 1, beneficially extending the patient's window of opportunityfor sexual spontaneity.

The altered properties of the isotopically modified compounds of thisinvention will not obliterate their ability to bind to their proteintarget. This is because such binding is primarily dependent uponnon-covalent binding between the protein and the inhibitor which may beimpacted both positively and negatively by isotopic substitution,depending on the specific substitution involved, and any negativeeffects that a heavy atom of this invention may have on the highlyoptimized non-covalent binding between compounds of formula I andserotonin uptake proteins will be relatively minor. Major factorscontributing to the noncovalent recognition of small molecules byproteins and the binding strength between them include: Van der Waalsforces, hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, molecular reorganization,desolvation energy of the small molecule, hydrophobic interactions and,in certain instances, displacement energy for pre-existing boundligands. See, for instance, Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basisof Therapeutics, Tenth Edition, Hardman J G and Limbird L E, eds.McGraw-Hill, 2001 and The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and DrugAction, Silverman R B, 2004, Academic Press.

The compounds of this invention possess molecular topology that is wellwithin the conformational envelope encompassed by the known activecompounds of Formula I. The replacement of hydrogen by deuterium doesnot alter molecular shape and exchange of ¹³C for ¹²C isconformationally neutral (Holtzer M E et. al., Biophys. J. 2001 80:939). Deuterium replacement does cause a slight decrease in Van derWaals radius (Wade D, Chem. Biol. Interact. 1999 117: 191); butapplicant believes that such decrease will not greatly reduce bindingaffinity between the molecule and its receptor. Furthermore, the smallersize of the deuterated compounds prevents their being involved in newundesirable steric clashes with the binding protein relative to theCompound 1. Neither deuterium nor ¹³C atoms in the compounds of thisinvention contribute significantly to hydrogen bonding or ionicinteractions with the protein receptors. This is because the majorhydrogen bond and ionic interactions formed by Compound 1 with PDE5 aremediated by the nitrogens and oxygens within Compound 1 and possibly itsindole NH proton acting as a hydrogen bond donor. Any deuterium atomsattached to the indole nitrogen will be rapidly exchanged with bulksolvent protons under physiological conditions. Protein reorganizationor side chain movement will be identical between a compound of thisinvention and their light atom isotopologues. Desolvation energy of acompound of this invention will be equivalent to or less than that ofCompound 1, resulting in neutral or increased binding affinity for thereceptor; Turowski M et. al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003 125: 13836. Thereplacement of ¹³C in place of ¹²C in compounds of this invention willhave no practical change in desolvation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a compound of Formula II:

wherein:

X¹ and X² are simultaneously fluoro; or X¹ is deuterium and X² isselected from hydrogen or deuterium;

each Y is independently selected from deuterium or hydrogen;

the hydrogen attached to the indole nitrogen is optionally replaced bydeuterium; and

each carbon is independently optionally replaced by ¹³C.

In one preferred embodiment of Formula II, at least one Y is deuterium.More preferably one or more of Y⁴, Y⁷ Y^(8a), Y^(8b), Y^(9a), Y^(9b) or,Y^(9c) are deuterium. Even more preferred embodiments are a compoundwherein Y⁴ is deuterium, a compound wherein Y⁷ is deuterium, a compoundwherein Y^(8a) and Y^(8b) are both deuterium, a compound wherein each ofY^(9a), Y^(9b) and, Y^(9a) are deuterium; and a compound combining oneor more of the foregoing deuterium substitutions.

In each of the preferred compounds set forth above, it is furtherpreferred that all hydrogen atoms not specifically replaced withdeuterium and all carbon atoms not specifically replaced with ¹³C arepresent at their natural isotopic abundance. Throughout thisspecification, reference to “each Y” includes, independently, all “Y”groups including for example Y³, Y⁴, Y⁶, Y⁷, Y⁸, Y^(8a), Y^(8b), Y⁹,Y^(9a), Y^(9b), Y^(9c), Y¹⁰, Y¹¹, Y^(11a), Y^(11b), Y¹³, Y¹⁴, Y¹⁵, andY¹⁶, where applicable.

In one preferred embodiment, the invention provides a compound whereinX¹ and X² are simultaneously fluoro:

or a prodrug or a prodrug salt thereof, or a solvates or polymorph ofthe foregoing.

In a preferred embodiment of Formula III, the compound has the formula:

or a prodrug or a prodrug salt thereof, or a solvate, hydrate orpolymorph of the foregoing, wherein the hydrogen attached to the indolenitrogen is not replaced by deuterium and wherein no carbon atoms arereplaced by ¹³C.

In another preferred embodiment, the invention provides a compoundwherein X¹ is deuterium and X² is selected from hydrogen or deuterium:

or a prodrug or prodrug salt thereof; or a hydrate, solvate or polymorphthereof; wherein: D is deuterium; Y is deuterium or hydrogen; eachhydrogen is optionally and independently replaced with deuterium; andeach carbon is optionally and independently replaced with ¹³C.

According to a preferred embodiment of Formula IV, Y is deuterium. Evenmore preferred is when up to three additional hydrogen atoms arereplaced by deuterium.

According to another preferred embodiment of Formula IV, one carbon atomis replaced by ¹³C.

The term “compound” as used herein, is intended to include prodrugs andprodrug salts of a compound of this invention. The term also includesany solvates, hydrates and polymorphs of any of the foregoing. Thespecific recitation of “prodrug,” “prodrug salt,” “solvate,” “hydrate,”or “polymorph” in certain aspects of the invention described in thisapplication shall not be interpreted as an intended omission of theseforms in other aspects of the invention where the term “compound” isused without recitation of these other forms.

As used herein and unless otherwise indicated, the term “prodrug” meansa derivative of a compound that can hydrolyze, oxidize, or otherwisereact under biological conditions (in vitro or in vivo) to provide acompound of this invention. Prodrugs may only become active upon suchreaction under biological conditions, or they may have activity in theirunreacted forms. Examples of prodrugs contemplated in this inventioninclude, but are not limited to, analogs or derivatives of compounds ofany one of the formulae disclosed herein that comprise biohydrolyzablemoieties such as biohydrolyzable amides, biohydrolyzable esters,biohydrolyzable carbamates, biohydrolyzable carbonates, biohydrolyzableureides, and biohydrolyzable phosphate analogues. Other examples ofprodrugs include derivatives of compounds of any one of the formulaedisclosed herein that comprise —NO, —NO₂, —ONO, or —ONO₂ moieties.Prodrugs can typically be prepared using well-known methods, such asthose described by Burger's Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery(1995) 172-178, 949-982 (Manfred E. Wolff ed., 5th ed); see also Goodmanand Gilman's, The Pharmacological basis of Therapeutics, 8th ed.,McGraw-Hill, Int. Ed. 1992, “Biotransformation of Drugs”.

As used herein and unless otherwise indicated, the terms“biohydrolyzable amide”, “biohydrolyzable ester”, “biohydrolyzablecarbamate”, “biohydrolyzable carbonate”, “biohydrolyzable ureide” and“biohydrolyzable phosphate analogue” mean an amide, ester, carbamate,carbonate, ureide, or phosphate analogue, respectively, that either: 1)does not destroy the biological activity of the compound and confersupon that compound advantageous properties in vivo, such as uptake,duration of action, or onset of action; or 2) is itself biologicallyinactive but is converted in vivo to a biologically active compound.Examples of biohydrolyzable amides include, but are not limited to,lower alkyl amides, α-amino acid amides, alkoxyacyl amides, andalkylaminoalkylcarbonyl amides. Examples of biohydrolyzable estersinclude, but are not limited to, lower alkyl esters, alkoxyacyloxyesters, alkyl acylamino alkyl esters, and choline esters. Examples ofbiohydrolyzable carbamates include, but are not limited to, loweralkylamines, substituted ethylenediamines, amino acids,hydroxyalkylamines, heterocyclic and heteroaromatic amines, andpolyether amines.

A prodrug salt is a compound formed between an acid and a basic group ofthe prodrug, such as an amino functional group, or a base and an acidicgroup of the prodrug, such as a carboxyl functional group. In apreferred embodiment, the prodrug salt is a pharmaceutically acceptablesalt. According to another preferred embodiment, the counterion to thesaltable prodrug of the compound of formula I is pharmaceuticallyacceptable. Pharmaceutically acceptable counterions include, forinstance, those acids and bases noted herein as being suitable to formpharmaceutically acceptable salts.

Particularly favored prodrugs and prodrug salts are those that increasethe bioavailability of the compounds of this invention when suchcompounds are administered to a mammal (e.g., by allowing an orallyadministered compound to be more readily absorbed into the blood) orwhich enhance delivery of the parent compound to a biologicalcompartment (e.g., the brain or central nervous system) relative to theparent species. Preferred prodrugs include derivatives where a groupthat enhances aqueous solubility or active transport through the gutmembrane is appended to the structure of formulae described herein. See,e.g., Alexander, J. et al. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 1988, 31,318-322; Bundgaard, H. Design of Prodrugs; Elsevier: Amsterdam, 1985; pp1-92; Bundgaard, H.; Nielsen, N. M. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 1987,30, 451-454; Bundgaard, H. A Textbook of Drug Design and Development;Harwood Academic Publ.: Switzerland, 1991; pp 113-191; Digenis, G. A. etal. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 1975, 28, 86-112; Friis, G.J.; Bundgaard, H. A Textbook of Drug Design and Development; 2 ed.;Overseas Publ.: Amsterdam, 1996; pp 351-385; Pitman, I. H. MedicinalResearch Reviews 1981, 1, 189-214.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable,” as used herein, refers to acomponent that is, within the scope of sound medical judgment, suitablefor use in contact with the tissues of humans and other mammals withoutundue toxicity, irritation, allergic response and the like, and arecommensurate with a reasonable benefit/risk ratio. A “pharmaceuticallyacceptable salt” means any non-toxic salt that, upon administration to arecipient, is capable of providing, either directly or indirectly, acompound or a prodrug of a compound of this invention. A“pharmaceutically acceptable counterion” is an ionic portion of a saltthat is not toxic when released from the salt upon administration to arecipient.

Acids commonly employed to form pharmaceutically acceptable saltsinclude inorganic acids such as hydrogen bisulfide, hydrochloric,hydrobromic, hydroiodic, sulfuric and phosphoric acid, as well asorganic acids such as para-toluenesulfonic, salicylic, tartaric,bitartaric, ascorbic, maleic, besylic, fumaric, gluconic, glucaronic,formic, glutamic, methanesulfonic, ethanesulfonic, benzenesulfonic,lactic, oxalic, para-bromophenylsulfonic, carbonic, succinic, citric,benzoic and acetic acid, and related inorganic and organic acids. Suchpharmaceutically acceptable salts thus include sulfate, pyrosulfate,bisulfate, sulfite, bisulfite, phosphate, monohydrogenphosphate,dihydrogenphosphate, metaphosphate, pyrophosphate, chloride, bromide,iodide, acetate, propionate, decanoate, caprylate, acrylate, formate,isobutyrate, caprate, heptanoate, propiolate, oxalate, malonate,succinate, suberate, sebacate, fumarate, maleate, butyne-1,4-dioate,hexyne-1,6-dioate, benzoate, chlorobenzoate, methylbenzoate,dinitrobenzoate, hydroxybenzoate, methoxybenzoate, phthalate,terephathalate, sulfonate, xylenesulfonate, phenylacetate,phenylpropionate, phenylbutyrate, citrate, lactate, β-hydroxybutyrate,glycolate, maleate, tartrate, methanesulfonate, propanesulfonate,naphthalene-1-sulfonate, naphthalene-2-sulfonate, mandelate and the likesalts. Preferred pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts includethose formed with mineral acids such as hydrochloric acid andhydrobromlc acid, and especially those formed with organic acids such asmaleic acid.

Suitable bases for forming pharmaceutically acceptable salts with acidicfunctional groups of prodrugs of this invention include, but are notlimited to, hydroxides of alkali metals such as sodium, potassium, andlithium; hydroxides of alkaline earth metal such as calcium andmagnesium; hydroxides of other metals, such as aluminum and zinc;ammonia, and organic amines, such as unsubstituted orhydroxy-substituted mono-, di-, or trialkylamines; dicyclohexylamine;tributyl amine; pyridine; N-methyl,N-ethylamine; diethylamine;triethylamine; mono-, bis-, or tris-(2-hydroxy-lower alkyl amines), suchas mono-, bis-, or tris-(2-hydroxyethyl)amine,2-hydroxy-tert-butylamine, or tris-(hydroxymethyl)methylamine,N,N,-di-lower alkyl-N-(hydroxy lower alkyl)-amines, such asN,N-dimethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)amine, or tri-(2-hydroxyethyl)amine;N-methyl-D-glucamine; and amino acids such as arginine, lysine, and thelike.

As used herein, the term “hydrate” means a compound which furtherincludes a stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric amount of water bound bynon-covalent intermolecular forces.

The term “solvate” means a compound which further includes astoichiometric or non-stoichiometric amount of solvent such as water,acetone, ethanol, methanol, dichloromethane, 2-propanol, or the like,bound by non-covalent intermolecular forces.

As used herein, the term “polymorph” means solid crystalline forms of acompound or complex thereof. Different polymorphs of the same compoundcan exhibit different physical, chemical and/or spectroscopicproperties. Different physical properties include, but are not limitedto stability (e.g., to heat, light or moisture), compressibility anddensity (important in formulation and product manufacturing),hygroscopicity, solubility, and dissolution rates (which can affectbioavailability). Differences in stability can result from changes inchemical reactivity (e.g., differential oxidation, such that a dosageform discolors more rapidly when comprised of one polymorph than whencomprised of another polymorph) or mechanical characteristics (e.g.,tablets crumble on storage as a kinetically favored polymorph convertsto thermodynamically more stable polymorph) or both (e.g., tablets ofone polymorph are more susceptible to breakdown at high humidity).Different physical properties of polymorphs can affect their processing.For example, one polymorph might be more likely to form solvates ormight be more difficult to filter or wash free of impurities thananother due to, for example, the shape or size distribution of particlesof it.

The compounds of the present invention contain asymmetric carbon atoms.As such, a compound of this invention can exist as an individualstereoisomer as well as a mixture of stereoisomers. Accordingly, acompound of the present invention will include not only a stereoisomericmixture, but also individual respective stereoisomers substantially freefrom other stereoisomers. The term “substantially free” as used hereinmeans less than 25% of other stereoisomers, preferably less than 10% ofother stereoisomers, more preferably less than 5% of other stereoisomersand most preferably less than 2% of other stereoisomers, are present.Methods of obtaining or synthesizing stereoisomers are well known in theart and may be applied as practicable to final compounds or to startingmaterial or intermediates. In another embodiment, the compound is anisolated compound.

The compounds of the invention may be synthesized by well-knowntechniques. The starting materials and certain intermediates used in thesynthesis of the compounds of this invention are available fromcommercial sources or may themselves be synthesized using reagents andtechniques known in the art, including those synthesis schemesdelineated herein. See, for instance, Daugan A C-M, U.S. Pat. No.5,859,006, Assigned to ICOS Corporation; Daugan A C-M, U.S. Pat. No.6,140,329, Assigned to ICOS Corporation; Daugan A C-M and Gellibert F,U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,746, Assigned to ICOS Corporation; and Daugan A C-Met. al., J. Med. Chem. 2003 46: 4533. Each of these documents isincorporated herein by reference.

A convenient method for producing compounds of Formula II is showngraphically in Scheme II. In Scheme II, E represents a functional groupthat is known in the art of organic synthesis as an ester group, orfunctional equivalent, labile to ring closure during the formation ofcyclic amides. Suitable E groups include, for instance, methyl, ethyl,propyl, butyl, isobutyl, cyclopropylethyl, phenyl, benzyl,4-chlorobenzyl, 2-nitrobenzyl, allyl, propargyl, trichloroethyl, and soforth. Many such additional suitable groups will be evident to those ofskill in the art; for instance, certain amides can also be in suchcyclization reactions. Preferred E groups include methyl, ethyl, benzyl,allyl, and most preferably, methyl. Each Y is independently hydrogen ordeuterium. X¹ and X² are simultaneously fluoro; or X¹ is deuterium andX² is selected from hydrogen or deuterium. Z represents a leaving groupsuch as are known in the art, many of which will be apparent to theskilled artesian. Preferred Z groups include halides such as chloride,bromide, and iodide; and sulfonates such as tosylate, mesylate,brosylate, nosylate, and the like. Chloride and bromide are morepreferred. R represents an acid activating group such as are known inthe art, including halide such as fluoride, chloride and bromide;anhydrides such as symmetrical anhydrides, pivalic anhydride, and othermixed anhydrides such as those formed upon reaction with chloroformates;activated esters such as pentafluoromethyl, succinimidyl, and the like.Other hydrogen and carbon atoms in compounds of formulae II, XIII, XIVand XV are optionally replaced with deuterium and ¹³C, respectively.Modifications of the above scheme will be apparent to those of skill inthe art of organic synthesis.

The synthesis of compounds of formula XII is demonstrated in Scheme III.A di-hydroxy phenyl ring is alkylated with an alkylating agent CX¹X²I₂(e.g., dideutero-diiodo-methane), to form a compound of formula XVI. Theester group is reduced in the presence of LiAlD₄ to form a compound offormula XVII, which is subsequently oxidized (e.g., under Swernconditions) to form the starting compound of formula XII. Thedefinitions of Y and X are as defined herein.

Deuterated and ¹³C-substituted indole, D,L-tryptophan, haloacetates suchas chloroacetic acid and chloracetyl chloride, and glycine derivatives,are commercially available (e.g. C/D/N Isotopes, Pointe-Claire, Quebec,Canada; Sigma Aldrich (ISOTEC), St. Louis, Mo.) and allow synthesis ofthe correspondingly labeled tryptophan derivatives and acetyl-labeledcompounds of formula XIV by means known in the art of organic andbiochemical synthesis. For instance, see Greenstein J P, MethodsEnzymol. 1957 3: 554; Stewart K K and Doherty R F, Proc. Natl. Acad.Sci. USA 1973 70: 2850; Venkatachalam S et. al., Org. Prep. Proc. Intl.1993 25: 249; Evans DA et. al., in Peptides, Chemistry and Biology,Marshall G R (Ed.) 1999 Escom, Leiden, Holland p. 143; Evans D A et.al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990 112: 4011; Schollkopf U, Pure Appl. Chem.1983 55: 1799; Myers A G and Gleason J L, Org. Synth. 1999 76: 57;Watanabe T and Snell E E, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 1972 69: 1086; andXiong C et. al. J. Org. Chem. 2002 22: 1399.

Fluorinated compounds of Formula III can be readily synthesized by theskilled chemist. For instance, (3,4-difluoromethylenedioxy)bromobenzene(also known as 5-bromo-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole) can be obtainedas an item of commerce or prepared as described by Benefiel R L andKrumkalns E V, U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,099 to Eli Lilly. Metal-halogenexchange followed by reaction with a formylating reagent such as, forinstance, dimethylformamide yields the compound of Formula III. Heavyatom isotopologues of Formula III are also available by means known inthe art of organic synthesis. For instance, reaction of theaforementioned organometallic reagent with commercially availabledeuterated or ¹³C formyl-substituted dimethylformamide yieldsisotopologues bearing heavy atoms at the formyl group. Reaction of3,4-dihydroxybromobenzene with ¹³C-labeled methylene chloride by meansknown in the art (e.g. Cabedo N et. al., J. Med. Chem. 2001 44: 1794;Panseri P et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,103 to Borregaard Italia),followed by conversion of the resulting(3,4-methylene-¹³C-dioxy)bromobenzene to its difluoromethylene analog(e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,099) and formylation installs ¹³C in themethylene carbon of Formula III. Analogous methylene fluorination of thecommercial 5,6-dibromobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole, available e.g. from ChemosGmbH, Regenstauf, Germany as 1,2-dibromo-4,5-methylenedioxy-benzene,followed by reaction with one equivalent of a metallating reagent suchas n-butyllithium, and subsequent deuterium quench, yields5-bromo-6-deutero-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole. Subsequentmetallation and formylation then yields the compound of Formula IIIwherein Y⁴ is deuterium. Due to the strong acidic nature of the2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole ring ortho to the oxygen atoms,essentially all substitution patterns are accessible throughhalogenation and lithiation, or catalytic reduction of halogens underdeuterium gas by means known in the art (e.g. see Yadav J S et. al.,Adv. Synth. Catal. 2004 346: 77; Kirefu T, et. al. J. Label. Compd.Radiopharm. 2001 44: 329) and removable protection as necessary. SeeGorecka J et. al. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2004: 64 ; and Schlosser M et. al.,Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2003: 452. 2,2-Difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxoles are alsoavailable by a different approach involving conversion of thecorresponding catechols to thiocarbonates, for instance usingthiophosgene, followed by reaction with a fluorinating reagent such asn-Bu₄NH₂F₃ and a suitable oxidant such as N-halo-succinimide or1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (Kuroboshi M and Hiyama T, Synlett1994 251; Cousseau J and Albert P, Bull. Chim. Soc. Fr. 1986 910).

2,2-Difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxaldehyde and its heavy atomisotopologues may be used in place of the non-fluorinated, light atomanalog (i.e. benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxaldehyde) in any of thereaction schemes known for the synthesis of Compound 1 to produce acompound of Formula III. Due to the electron withdrawing nature of thecarboxaldehyde substituent, this 1,3-benzodioxole derivative isreasonably stable to acidic conditions, but appropriate care may behelpful, for instance, in acidic condition and reaction workups to avoidany degradation of the reaction product, such as those inPictet-Spengler reaction, if such an approach is used to produceCompound 2.

The acid cyclization catalyst can be a strong protic acid (see e.g.Whaley W M and Govindachari T R, Org. React. 1951 6: 74), or a Lewisacid or Bronsted acid-assisted Lewis acid (e.g. Yamada H et. al. J. Org.Chem. 1998 63: 6348). Many variations in this cyclization reaction,commonly referred to as the Pictet-Spengler reaction, are known,including those that enhance enantiomeric or diastereomeric excesses inthe products. For instance, see Rozwadowski M D, Heterocycles 1994 39:903; Campiglia P et. al., Mol. Divers. 2004 8: 427, Horiguchi Y et. al.Chem. Pharm. Bull. 2003 51: 1368, and Nakamura S et. al., Org. Lett.2003 5: 2087. If the reaction is carried out in aprotic solvent with aLewis acid, or alternatively under protic conditions wherein the acidprotons have been replaced with deuterium, e.g. using CF₃CO₂D, then theresulting compound of formula XIV will bear a deuterium at Y⁷.

Deuterated compounds of Formula IV can be synthesized, for instance, byreaction of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde with suitable deuteratedmethylenation reagents. Examples of such reagents include, for instance,mono and di-deuterated forms of dihalomethanes such as dichloromethane,dibromomethane, bromochloromethane, diiodomethane, and the like. Thesynthesis of benzodioxols from catechol (o-dihydroxyphenyl) precursorsis well known in the art and is described, for instance by Cabedo N et.al., J. Med. Chem. 2001 44: 1794; Walz A J and Sundberg R J, J. Org.Chem., 2000 65: 8001; Orús L et. al., J. Med. Chem. 2002 45: 4128; ChangJ et. al. Helv. Chim. Acta 2003 86: 2239; Moreau A et. al., Tetrahedron2004 60: 6169; and Panseri P et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,103 toBorregaard Italia, each of which is herein incorporated by reference.The latter reference provides a particularly efficient method which forlarge-scale production that can be adapted to the readily availabledichlorodideuteromethane.

In Scheme II, separation of the tetrahydro-β-carboline cis-transisomers; acylation, for instance with chloroacetyl chloride; and ringclosure, preferably with methylamine, is then carried out in a manneranalogous to that described for the synthesis of Compound 1 in the art,such as in the above-cited references.

Deuterated, ¹³C-labeled methylamine is commercially available, allowingisotopic substitution of the N-methyl group attached to thedioxopiperazine ring.

By means as described above and other that will be apparent to those ofskill in the art of organic synthesis, substitution of hydrogens andcarbons in compounds of this invention by deuterium and ¹³C,respectively, may be readily accomplished.

Methods for optimizing reaction conditions, if necessary minimizingcompeting by-products, are known in the art. Reaction optimization andscale-up may advantageously utilize high-speed parallel synthesisequipment and computer-controlled microreactors (e.g. Design AndOptimization in Organic Synthesis, 2^(nd) Edition, Carlson R, Ed, 2005;Elsevier Science Ltd.; Jähnisch, K et al, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl.2004 43: 406; and references therein). Additional reaction schemes andprotocols may be determined by the skilled artesian by use ofcommercially available structure-searchable database software, forinstance, SciFinder® (CAS division of the American Chemical Society) andCrossFire Beilstein® (Elsevier M D L), or by appropriate keywordsearching using an internet search engine such as Google® or keyworddatabases such as the US Patent and Trademark Office text database.

The synthetic methods described herein may also additionally includesteps, either before or after the steps described specifically herein,to add or remove suitable protecting groups in order to ultimately allowsynthesis of the compound of the formulae described herein.

According to another embodiment, the invention provides any ofabove-described intermediate compounds XIV or XV, wherein at least onehydrogen or carbon atom has been substituted by deuterium or ¹³C,respectively. The invention also provides intermediate compound XIII,wherein one X¹ is deuterium and X² is selected from hydrogen ordeuterium.

Combinations of substituents and variables envisioned by this inventionare only those that result in the formation of stable compounds. Theterm “stable”, as used herein, refers to compounds which possessstability sufficient to allow manufacture and which maintain theintegrity of the compound for a sufficient period of time to be usefulfor the purposes detailed herein (e.g., formulation into therapeuticproducts, intermediates for use in production of therapeutic compounds,isolatable or storable intermediate compounds, treating a disease orcondition responsive to the reduction of PDE5 activity).

The term “isotopologue” refers to species that differ from a compound ofthis invention only in the isotopic composition of their molecules orions. The terms “lighter isotopologue” and “lighter atom isotopologue”as used herein, refer to species that differs from a compound of thisinvention in that it comprises one or more light isotopic atoms ¹H or¹²C at positions occupied by a deuterium or ¹³C. For the purposes ofthis invention, ¹¹C is not referred to as a light isotope of carbon.

A specific compound of this invention may also be referred to as a“heavy atom isotopic compound” to distinguish it from its lighterisotopologues when discussing mixtures of isotopologues. This is becausea specific compound and all of its lighter isotopologues, includingCompound 2 which lacks deuterium and ¹³C, are compounds of Formula II.

Chemical naming terminology can be complex and different chemical namescan often reasonably be applied to the same structure. To avoid anyconfusion, “Compound 1” refers to the free base form of the activePDE5-inhibing agent of the drug approved for sale in the US by the USFDA in NDA no. 021368.

It will be recognized that many commonly occurring atoms in biologicalsystems exist naturally as mixtures of isotopes. Thus, any compound ofFormula I inherently comprises small amounts of deuterated and/or¹³C-containing isotopologues. The present invention differentiates suchforms having minor amounts of such isotopologues from its scope in thatthe term “compound” as used in this invention refers to a composition ofmatter that is predominantly a specific isotopologue. A compound, asdefined herein, in embodiments contains less than 10%, preferably lessthan 6%, and more preferably less than 3% of all other isotopologues. Acompound of this invention preferably comprises hydrogen and carbonatoms, not specifically designated as deuterium and ¹³C, respectively,in their natural isotopic abundance. Compositions of matter that containgreater than 10% of all other specific isotopologues combined arereferred to herein as mixtures and must meet the parameters set forthbelow. These limits of isotopic composition, and all references toisotopic composition herein, refer solely to the active form of thecompound of Formula II and do not include the isotopic composition ofhydrolysable portions of prodrugs, or of prodrug salt counterions,certain of which, such as chloride and bromide, exist naturally asmixtures comprising substantial percentages of multiple isotopes.

The term “heavy atom” refers to isotopes of higher atomic weight thanthe predominant naturally occurring isotope.

The term “stable heavy atom” refers to non-radioactive heavy atoms.

Both “²H” and “D” refer to deuterium.

“Stereoisomer” refers to both enantiomers and diastereomers

“PDE” refers to cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specificphosphodiesterase

“cGMP” refers to cyclic guanosine monophosphate

“5′-GMP” refers to guanosine-5′-monophosphate

“cAMP” refers to cyclic adenosine monophosphate

“5′-AMP” refers to adenosine-5′-monophosphate

“AIBN” refers to 2,2′-azo-bis(isobutyronitrile)

“THF” refers to tetrahydrofuran

“DMF” refers to dimethylformamide

“n-BuLi” refers to 1-butyllithium

“aq.” Refers to aqueous

“h” refers to hours

“min” refers to minutes

“brine” refers to saturated aqueous sodium chloride

“US” refers to the United States of America

“FDA” refers to Food and Drug Administration

“NDA” refers to New Drug Application

“AUC” refers to area under the plasma-time concentration curve

CYP3A4 refers to cytochrome P450 oxidase isoform 3A4

CYP2D6 refers to cytochrome P450 oxidase isoform 2D6

“MC-4R” refers to the human melanocortin-4 receptor

“5-HT” refers to 5-hydroxytryptamine or serotonin

“NEP” refers to neutral endopeptidease (EC 3.4.24.11)

“HMG-CoA” refers to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A

“ETA” refers to endothelin subtype A receptors

“ETB” refers to endothelin subtype B receptors

“PPAR” refers to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor.

The invention further provides compositions comprising (consistingessentially of, consisting of) a mixture of a compound of this inventionand its lighter isotopologues. These mixtures may occur, for instance,simply as the result of an inefficiency of incorporating the isotope ata given position; intentional or inadvertent exchange of protons fordeuterium, e.g. exchange of bulk solvent for heteroatom-attacheddeuterium; or intentional mixtures of pure compounds.

In one embodiment, such mixtures comprise at least about 50% of theheavy atom isotopic compound (i.e., less than about 50% of lighterisotopologues). More preferable is a mixture comprising at least 80% ofthe heavy atom isotopic compound. Most preferable is a mixturecomprising 90% of the heavy atom isotopic compound.

In an alternate embodiment the mixture comprises a compound and itslighter isotopologues in relative proportions such that at least about50%, preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 90%, even morepreferably at least 95% and most preferably at least 98% of thecompounds in said mixture comprise an isotope at each positioncontaining a stable heavy atom isotope in the full isotopic compound.The following exemplifies this definition. A hypothetical compound ofthe invention contains deuterium at positions Y^(9a), Y^(9b) and Y^(9c).A mixture comprising this compound and all of its potential lighterisotopologues and the relative proportion of each is set forth in thetable below.

TABLE 1 Y^(9a) Y^(9b) Y^(9c) Relative Amt Compound D D D 40%Isotopologue 1 D D H 15% Isotopologue 2 D H D 14% Isotopologue 3 H D D13% Isotopologue 4 D H H  6% Isotopologue 5 H D H  5% Isotopologue 6 H HD  4% Isotopologue 7 H H H  3% % of compounds comprising (40% + 15% +(40% + 15% + (40% + 14% + an isotope at position 14% + 6%) = 13% + 5%) =13% + 4%) = indicated position 75% 73% 72%

From the table it can be seen that the compound plus lighterisotopologues 1, 2 and 4 comprise the isotope deuterium at positionY^(9a). These compounds are present in the mixture at relevant amountsof 40%, 15%, 14% and 6%. Thus, 75% of the mixture comprises the isotopeat Y^(9a) that is present in the compound. The compound plus lighterisotopologues 1, 3 and 5 comprise the isotope deuterium at positionY^(9b). These compounds are present in the mixture at relevant amountsof 40%, 15%, 13% and 5%. Thus, 73% of the mixture comprises the isotopeat Y^(9b) that is present in the compound. The compound plus lighterisotopologues 2, 3 and 6 comprise the isotope deuterium at positionY^(9c). These compounds are present in the mixture at relevant amountsof 40%, 14%, 13% and 4%. Thus, 71% of the mixture comprises the isotopeat Y^(9a) that is present in the compound. Accordingly, this mixturecomprises a compound and its lighter isotopologues in relativeproportions such that 71% of the compounds in said mixture comprise anisotope at each position containing a stable heavy atom isotope in thefull isotopic compound.

The invention also provides compositions comprising an effective amountof a compound of Formula II, or a prodrug, or prodrug salt thereof, or asolvate, hydrate, or polymorph of the foregoing; and an acceptablecarrier. Preferably, a composition of this invention is formulated forpharmaceutical use (“a pharmaceutical composition”), wherein the carrieris a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The carrier(s) must be“acceptable” in the sense of being compatible with the other ingredientsof the formulation and, in the case of a pharmaceutically acceptablecarrier, not deleterious to the recipient thereof in amounts typicallyused in medicaments.

Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, adjuvants and vehicles that may beused in the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention include, butare not limited to, ion exchangers, alumina, aluminum stearate,lecithin, serum proteins, such as human serum albumin, buffer substancessuch as phosphates, glycine, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, partialglyceride mixtures of saturated vegetable fatty acids, water, salts orelectrolytes, such as protamine sulfate, disodium hydrogen phosphate,potassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium chloride, zinc salts, colloidalsilica, magnesium trisilicate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose-basedsubstances, polyethylene glycol, sodium carboxymethylcellulose,polyacrylates, waxes, polyethylene-polyoxypropylene-block polymers,polyethylene glycol and wool fat.

The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include those suitablefor oral, rectal, nasal, topical (including buccal and sublingual),vaginal or parenteral (including subcutaneous, intramuscular,intravenous and intradermal) administration. See Doherty P C Jr et. al.U.S. Pat. No. 6,548,490 assigned to Vivus, Inc.; Place V A, U.S. Pat.No. 6,469,016 assigned to Vivus, Inc. In certain embodiments, thecompound of the formulae herein is administered transdermally (e.g.,using a transdermal patch or iontophoretic techniques). Otherformulations may conveniently be presented in unit dosage form, e.g.,tablets and sustained release capsules, and in liposomes, and may beprepared by any methods well known in the art of pharmacy. See, forexample, Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Company,Philadelphia, Pa. (17th ed. 1985).

Such preparative methods include the step of bringing into associationwith the molecule to be administered ingredients such as the carrierthat constitutes one or more accessory ingredients. In general, thecompositions are prepared by uniformly and intimately bringing intoassociation the active ingredients with liquid carriers, liposomes orfinely divided solid carriers or both, and then if necessary shaping theproduct.

In certain preferred embodiments, the compound is administered orally.Compositions of the present invention suitable for oral administrationmay be presented as discrete units such as capsules, sachets or tabletseach containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient; as apowder or granules; as a solution or a suspension in an aqueous liquidor a non-aqueous liquid; or as an oil-in-water liquid emulsion or awater-in-oil liquid emulsion, or packed in liposomes and as a bolus,etc. Soft gelatin capsules can be useful for containing suchsuspensions, which may beneficially increase the rate of compoundabsorption. For instance, see Anderson N R and Gullapalli R P, U.S. Pat.No. 6,841,167 assigned to Lilly Icos.

A tablet may be made by compression or molding, optionally with one ormore accessory ingredients. Compressed tablets may be prepared bycompressing in a suitable machine the active ingredient in afree-flowing form such as a powder or granules, optionally mixed with abinder, lubricant, inert diluent, preservative, surface-active ordispersing agent. Molded tablets may be made by molding in a suitablemachine a mixture of the powdered compound moistened with an inertliquid diluent. The tablets optionally may be coated or scored and maybe formulated so as to provide slow or controlled release of the activeingredient therein. Methods of formulating such slow or controlledrelease compositions of pharmaceutically active ingredients, such asthose herein and other compounds known in the art, are known in the artand described in several issued US patents, some of which include, butare not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,369,172; and 4,842,866, andreferences cited therein. Coatings can be used for delivery of compoundsto the intestine (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,638,534, 5,217,720, and6,569,457, 6,461,631, 6,52,080, 6,800,663, and references citedtherein). Such coatings are of particular value in the delivery of acompound of Formula II, and more specifically for delivery of Compound2.

In the case of tablets for oral use, carriers that are commonly usedinclude lactose and corn starch. Lubricating agents, such as magnesiumstearate, are also typically added. For oral administration in a capsuleform, useful diluents include lactose and dried cornstarch. When aqueoussuspensions are administered orally, the active ingredient is combinedwith emulsifying and suspending agents. If desired, certain sweeteningand/or flavoring and/or coloring agents may be added. Surfactants suchas sodium lauryl sulfate may be useful to enhance dissolution andabsorption.

Compositions suitable for topical administration include lozengescomprising the ingredients in a flavored basis, usually sucrose andacacia or tragacanth; and pastilles comprising the active ingredient inan inert basis such as gelatin and glycerin, or sucrose and acacia.

Compositions suitable for parenteral administration include aqueous andnon-aqueous sterile injection solutions which may contain anti-oxidants,buffers, bacteriostats and solutes which render the formulation isotonicwith the blood of the intended recipient; and aqueous and non-aqueoussterile suspensions which may include suspending agents and thickeningagents. The formulations may be presented in unit-dose or multi-dosecontainers, for example, sealed ampules and vials, and may be stored ina freeze dried (lyophilized) condition requiring only the addition ofthe sterile liquid carrier, for example water for injections,immediately prior to use. Extemporaneous injection solutions andsuspensions may be prepared from sterile powders, granules and tablets.

Such injection solutions may be in the form, for example, of a sterileinjectable aqueous or oleaginous suspension. This suspension may beformulated according to techniques known in the art using suitabledispersing or wetting agents (such as, for example, Tween 80) andsuspending agents. The sterile injectable preparation may also be asterile injectable solution or suspension in a non-toxicparenterally-acceptable diluent or solvent, for example, as a solutionin 1,3-butanediol. Among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that maybe employed are mannitol, water, Ringer's solution and isotonic sodiumchloride solution. In addition, sterile, fixed oils are conventionallyemployed as a solvent or suspending medium. For this purpose, any blandfixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono- or diglycerides.Fatty acids, such as oleic acid and its glyceride derivatives are usefulin the preparation of injectables, as are naturalpharmaceutically-acceptable oils, such as olive oil or castor oil,especially in their polyoxyethylated versions. These oil solutions orsuspensions may also contain a long-chain alcohol diluent or dispersantsuch as Ph. Hely or a similar alcohol.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be administered inthe form of suppositories for rectal or vaginal administration. Thesecompositions can be prepared by mixing a compound of this invention witha suitable non-irritating excipient which is solid at room temperaturebut liquid at the rectal temperature and therefore will melt in therectum to release the active components. Such materials include, but arenot limited to, cocoa butter, beeswax and polyethylene glycols.

Topical administration of the pharmaceutical compositions of thisinvention is especially useful when the desired treatment involves areasor organs readily accessible by topical application. For applicationtopically to the skin, the pharmaceutical composition should beformulated with a suitable ointment containing the active componentssuspended or dissolved in a carrier. Carriers for topical administrationof the compounds of this invention include, but are not limited to,mineral oil, liquid petroleum, white petroleum, propylene glycol,polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene compound, emulsifying wax and water.Alternatively, the pharmaceutical composition can be formulated with asuitable lotion or cream containing the active compound suspended ordissolved in a carrier. Suitable carriers include, but are not limitedto, mineral oil, sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60, cetyl esterswax, cetearyl alcohol, 2-octyldodecanol, benzyl alcohol and water. Thepharmaceutical compositions of this invention may also be topicallyapplied to the lower intestinal tract by rectal suppository formulationor in a suitable enema formulation. Topically-transdermal patches andiontophoretic administration are also included in this invention.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be administered bynasal aerosol or inhalation. Such compositions are prepared according totechniques well-known in the art of pharmaceutical formulation and maybe prepared as solutions in saline, employing benzyl alcohol or othersuitable preservatives, absorption promoters to enhance bioavailability,fluorocarbons, and/or other solubilizing or dispersing agents known inthe art. Such administration is known to be effective with erectiledysfunction drugs: Rabinowitz J D and Zaffaroni A C, U.S. Pat. No.6,803,031, assigned to Alexza Molecular Delivery Corporation.

Application of the subject therapeutics may be local, so as to beadministered at the site of interest. Various techniques can be used forproviding the subject compositions at the site of interest, such asinjection, use of catheters, trocars, projectiles, pluronic gel, stents,sustained drug release polymers or other device which provides forinternal access.

Thus, according to another embodiment, the compounds of this inventionmay be incorporated into compositions for coating an implantable medicaldevice, such as prostheses, artificial valves, vascular grafts, stents,or catheters. Suitable coatings and the general preparation of coatedimplantable devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,099,562;5,886,026; and 5,304,121. The coatings are typically biocompatiblepolymeric materials such as a hydrogel polymer, polymethyldisiloxane,polycaprolactone, polyethylene glycol, polylactic acid, ethylene vinylacetate, and mixtures thereof. The coatings may optionally be furthercovered by a suitable topcoat of fluorosilicone, polysaccharides,polyethylene glycol, phospholipids or combinations thereof to impartcontrolled release characteristics in the composition. Coatings forinvasive devices are to be included within the definition ofpharmaceutically acceptable carrier, adjuvant or vehicle, as those termsare used herein.

According to another embodiment, the invention provides a method ofcoating an implantable medical device comprising the step of contactingsaid device with the coating composition described above. It will beobvious to those skilled in the art that the coating of the device willoccur prior to implantation into a mammal.

According to another embodiment, the invention provides a method ofimpregnating an implantable drug release device comprising the step ofcontacting said drug release device with a compound or composition ofthis invention. Implantable drug release devices include, but are notlimited to, biodegradable polymer capsules or bullets, non-degradable,diffusible polymer capsules and biodegradable polymer wafers.Implantable mechanical devices are also known; see for instance GerberMont., US Patent Applications 20050010259, 20050033372, 20050070969,assigned to Medtronic Inc.

According to another embodiment, the invention provides an implantablemedical device coated with a compound or a composition comprising acompound of this invention, such that said compound is therapeuticallyactive.

According to another embodiment, the invention provides an implantabledrug release device impregnated with or containing a compound or acomposition comprising a compound of this invention, such that saidcompound is released from said device and is therapeutically active.

Where an organ or tissue is accessible because of removal from thepatient, such organ or tissue may be bathed in a medium containing acomposition of this invention, a composition of this invention may bepainted onto the organ, or a composition of this invention may beapplied in any other convenient way.

The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositionscomprising an effective amount of one or more compound of the inventionin combination with an effective amount of a second therapeutic agentuseful for treating or preventing a condition selected from stableangina, unstable angina, variant angina, hypertension, pulmonaryhypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratorydistress syndrome, malignant hypertension, pheochromocytoma, congestiveheart failure, acute renal failure, chronic renal failure,atherosclerosis, a condition of reduced blood vessel patency, aperipheral vascular disease, a vascular disorder, thrombocythemia, aninflammatory disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, bronchitis, chronicasthma, allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, glaucoma, peptic ulcer, agut motility disorder, postpercutaneous transluminal coronary or carotidangioplasty, post-bypass surgery graft stenosis, osteoporosis, pretermlabor, benign prostatic hypertrophy, or irritable bowel syndrome, in ahuman or nonhuman animal body; treatment of a sexual deficiency state ina human, including the state of female sexual dysfunction, includingrecurrent conditions, and treatment of patients who have a co-existingcondition of epilepsy, craniopharyngioma, hypogonadism or who has had ahysterectomyoophorectomy, hysterectomy or oophorectomy; as well ashyperglycemia, hyperinsulinaemia, hyperlipidaemia, hypertriglyceridemia,diabetes, insulin resistance, impaired glucose metabolism, conditions ofimpaired glucose tolerance (IGT), conditions of impaired fasting plasmaglucose, obesity, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy,glomerulosclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, syndrome X, coronary heartdisease, angina pectoris, vascular restenosis, endothelial dysfunction,depression, epilepsy, faintness attacks, hypokinesia, cranial disorders,neurodegenerative disorders, depression, anxiety, panic, pain, irritablebowel syndrome, sleep disorders, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,neuropathological disorders, visceral pain, functional bowel disorders,inflammatory bowel diseases, pain associated with dysmenorrhea, pelvicpain, cystitis, pancreatitis, cyclical oedema, Menires disease,hyperaldosteroneism (primary and secondary), hypercalciuria and lowerurinary tract symptoms, other than urinary incontinence, associated withoveractive bladder and/or benign prostatic hyperplasia; or of inducingmating in a non-human mammal.

Such second therapeutic agents useful in combination with the compoundsof this invention include, but are not limited to: a vasodilator,prostaglandin E1, prostacyclin, an α-adrenergic blocker, a mixedα,β-blocker, an α₂-adrenergic blocker, an ACE inhibitor, an NEPinhibitor, a centrally acting dopaminergic agent, a vasoactiveintestinal peptide, a calcium channel blocker, a thiazide diuretic,(5R)-(methylamino)-5,6-dihydro-4H-imidazo[4,5,1-ij]quinolin-2(1H)-one,(5R)-(methylamino)-5,6-dihydro-4H-imidazo[4,5,1-ij]quinoline-2(1H)-thioneand pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof; a 5-HT₂ receptor ligand,in particular, 5-HT_(2a) and 5-HT_(2c) receptor ligands; anacetylcholine esterase antagonist; a vasopressin receptor familyantagonist, or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof;1-deprenyl or propargylamine compounds; human melanocortin-4 receptor(MC-4R) agonists; gamma-butyrobetaine; an alpha-2-delta ligand; anangiotensin II receptor antagonist; a prostaglandin E₂ receptor subtypeEP₁ antagonist; an endothelin antagonist; an antidiabetic agent, anHMG-Co-a reductase inhibitor, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), ora pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and combinations of theforegoing.

Examples of vasodilators include, but are not limited to, nitroglycerin,isosorbide dinitrate, pentaerythrityl tetranitrate,isosorbide-5-mononitrate, propatyl nitrate, trolnitrate, nicroandil,mannitol hexanitrate, inositol hexanitrate,N-[3-nitratopivaloyl]-6-cysteine ethyl ester, isoamyl nitrite,S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine, 1,2,5-oxadiazole-2-oxide,furazan-N-oxide, molsidomine, mesocarb, an iron nitrosyl compound,sodium nitroprusside, nitric oxide, and mixtures thereof.

Examples of a-adrenergic blockers include, but are not limited to,phentolamine and prazocin.

Examples of mixed α,β-blockers include, but are not limited to,carvedilol.

Examples of α₂-adrenergic blockers include, but are not limited to,yohimbine.

Examples of ACE inhibitors include, but are not limited to, quinapril,enalapril, captopril, spirapril, fosinopril, moexipril, enalaprilat,ramipril, perindopril, indolapril, lisinopril, alacepril, trandolapril,benazapril, libenzapril, delapril, cilazapril and combinations thereof.

Examples of NEP inhibitors include, but are not limited to, thosedisclosed by Hepworth D, US Patent Application 20040180941, PfizerApplicant and Dack K N, US Patent Application 20040138274,Warner-Lambert Applicant.

Examples of centrally acting dopaminergic agents include, but are notlimited to, apomorphine.

Examples of calcium channel blockers include, but are not limited to,amlodipine, diltiazem, felodipine, isradipine, nicardipine, nifedipine,and verapamil.

Examples of thiazides include, but are not limited to,hydrochlorothiazide, flumethiazide, hydroflumethiazide,bendroflumethiazide, methylchlothiazide, trichlormethiazide,polythiazide or benzthiazide.

Examples of 5-HT_(2a) and 5-HT_(2c) receptor ligands include, but arenot limited to, those disclosed by Chiang P et. al. in US Patentapplications 20050054656, 20050020604, and 20050032809, PfizerApplicant.

Examples of acetylcholine esterase antagonists include, but are notlimited to, donepezil, galanthamine, rivastigme, tacrine, physostigime,neostigmine, edrophonium, pyridostigmine, demecarium, pyridostigmine,phospholine, metrifonate, zanapezil, and ambenonium.

Examples of vasopressin receptor family antagonists include, but are notlimited to, relcovaptan, atosiban, conivaptan, OPC21268, or8-chloro-5-methyl-1-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-[1,2′b]pyridinyl-4-yl)-5,6-dihydro-4H-2,3,5,10b-tetraazo-benzo[e]azulene,or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof and thosedisclosed by Wayman C P and Russell R J, United States PatentApplication 20050014848, Pfizer Applicant.

Examples of propargylamine compounds include, but are not limited to,those disclosed by Yu P H et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,311 and inreferences cited therein.

Examples of MC-4R agonists include, but are not limited to, thosedisclosed by Merck, Applicant in US Patent Applications 20030225060,20040097546, 20040204398, and 20040266821.

Examples of alpha-2-delta ligands include, but are not limited to,gabapentin and pregabalin.

Examples of angiotensin II receptor antagonists include, but are notlimited to, candesartan, eprosartan, irbesartan, losartan, olmesartan,olmesartan medoxomil, saralasin, telmisartan and valsartan andpharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

Examples of prostaglandin E₂ receptor subtype EP₁ antagonists include,but are not limited to,4-[2-[N-isopropyl-N-(5-methyl-2-furylsulfonyl)amino]-5trifluoromethylphen-oxymethyl]benzoicacid;4-[2-[N-isopropyl-N-(5-methyl-2-furylsulfonyl)-amino]-4,5dimethylphenoxymethyl]benzoicacid;3-methyl-4-[2-[N-isobutyl-N-(5-methyl-2-furylsulfonyl)amino]-4,5dimethylphenoxymethyl]benzoicacid;4-[6-[N-isobutyl-N-(5-methyl-2-furylsulfonyl)amino]indan-5yloxymethyl]cinnamicacid;3-methyl-4-[6-[N-isobutyl-N-(4-methyl-2-thiazolylsulfonyl)amino]indan-5yloxymethyl]cinnamicacid;4-[4,5-dimethyl-2-[N-methyl-N-(5-methyl-2-furylsulfonyl)-N-propylamino]phenoxymethyl]benzoicacid;4-[6-[N-isobutyl-N-(4-methyl-2-thiazolylsulfonyl)amino]indan-5yloxymethyl]benzoicacid; non-toxic salts thereof, or esters thereof.

Examples of endothelin antagonists include, but are not limited to,non-peptidal endothelin antagonists such as bosentan, ETA/ETB receptorantagonist such as PD145065, and endothelin converting enzyme such asphosphoramidon.

Examples of antidiabetic agents include, but are not limited to, insulinsecretion enhancers, insulin sensitivity enhancers, insulin signalingpathway modulators, such as inhibitors of protein tyrosine phosphatases(PTPases), antidiabetic non-small molecule mimetic compounds andinhibitors of glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT);compounds influencing a dysregulated hepatic glucose production, such asinhibitors of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), inhibitors offructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (F-1,6-BPase), inhibitors of glycogenphosphorylase (GP), glucagon receptor antagonists and inhibitors ofphosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK); pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase(PDHK) inhibitors; inhibitors of gastric emptying; insulin; inhibitorsof GSK-3; retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonists; agonists of β-3 AP;agonists of uncoupling proteins (UCPs); non-glitazone typePPARγ-agonists; dual PPARγ/PPARα agonists; antidiabetic vanadiumcontaining compounds; incretin hormones, such as glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) and GLP-1 agonists; β-cell imidazoline receptor antagonists;miglitol; and α₂-adrenergic antagonists.

Examples of HMG-Co-A reductase inhibitors include, but are not limitedto, atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, pitavastatin, lovastatin,pravastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, mevastatin, and thepharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, lactones and isomeric formsthereof.

Examples of serotonin uptake inhibitors include, but are not limited to,femoxetine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, indalpine, indeloxazine,milnacipran, paroxetine, sertraline, sibutramine, zimeldine, citalopram,escitalopram, fenfluramine, venlafaxine, duloxetine and those disclosedby Marek G J et. al., United States Patent Application 20050014848,Pfizer Applicant.

In another embodiment, the invention provides separate dosage forms of acompound of this invention and a second therapeutic agent that areassociated with one another. The term “associated with one another” asused herein means that the separate dosage forms are packaged togetheror otherwise attached to one another such that it is readily apparentthat the separate dosage forms are intended to be sold and administeredtogether (within less than 24 hours of one another, consecutively orsimultaneously).

In the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention, the compound of thepresent invention is present in an effective amount. As used herein, theterm “effective amount” refers to an amount which, when administered ina proper dosing regimen, is sufficient to reduce or ameliorate theseverity, duration or progression, or enhance function compromised by adisorder associated with high PDE5 activity or low intracellularconcentrations of cGMP, for instance in arterial walls or in the corpuscavernosal smooth muscle; to prevent the advancement of a disorderassociated with low vascular or smooth muscle intracellularconcentrations of cGMP, cause the regression of a disorder associatedwith low vascular or smooth muscle intracellular concentrations of cGMP,or enhance or improve the prophylactic or therapeutic effect(s) ofanother therapy.

In certain preferred embodiments, treatment according to the inventionprovides a reduction in or prevention of at least one symptom ormanifestation of a disorder that has been linked to PDE5 activity, asdetermined in vivo or in vitro inhibition of at least about 10%, morepreferably 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 98% or 99% ofsuch activity. With respect to inhibition of PDE5 activity, the term“effective amount” means an amount that results in a detectablereduction in the ability of PDE5 to convert cAMP or cGMP or their³²P-labeled isotopologues to, respectively, 5′-AMP or 5′-GMP or their³²P-labeled isotopologues; or increase in the amount or concentration ofintracellular cGMP, particularly in arterial and corpus cavernosalsmooth muscle tissue, in a patient or in a biological sample; or thecorrection of or relief from a behavior, deficit, symptom, syndrome ordisease, or enhancement of otherwise compromised function that has beenlinked to low intracellular cGMP levels, alone or in combination withanother agent or agents; or the induction of a behavior, activity orresponse that has been linked to normalized or increased intracellularcGMP levels.

The interrelationship of dosages for animals and humans (based onmilligrams per meter squared of body surface) is described in Freireichet al., (1966) Cancer Chemother Rep 50: 219. Body surface area may beapproximately determined from height and weight of the patient. See,e.g., Scientific Tables, Geigy Pharmaceuticals, Ardley, N.Y., 1970, 537.An effective amount of a compound of this invention can range from about0.001 mg/kg to about 500 mg/kg, more preferably 0.01 mg/kg to about 50mg/kg, yet more preferably 0.025 mg/kg to about 1.5 mg/kg. Effectivedoses will also vary, as recognized by those skilled in the art,depending on the diseases treated, the severity of the disease, theroute of administration, the sex, age and general health condition ofthe patient, excipient usage, the possibility of co-usage with othertherapeutic treatments such as use of other agents and the judgment ofthe treating physician.

For pharmaceutical compositions that comprise a second therapeuticagent, an effective amount of the second therapeutic agent is betweenabout 20% and 100% of the dosage normally utilized in a monotherapyregime using just that agent. Preferably, an effective amount is betweenabout 70% and 100% of the normal monotherapeutic dose. The normalmonotherapeutic dosages of the second therapeutic agents useful in thisinvention are well known in the art. See, e.g., Wells et al., eds.,Pharmacotherapy Handbook, 2nd Edition, Appleton and Lange, Stamford,Conn. (2000); PDR Pharmacopoeia, Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2000,Deluxe Edition, Tarascon Publishing, Loma Linda, Calif. (2000), each ofwhich references are entirely incorporated herein by reference.

It is expected that some of the second therapeutic agents listed abovewill act synergistically with the compounds of this invention. When thisoccurs, its will allow the effective dosage of the second therapeuticagent and/or the compound of this invention to be reduced from thatrequired in a monotherapy. This has the advantage of minimizing toxicside effects of either the second therapeutic agent of a compound ofthis invention, synergistic improvements in efficacy, improved ease ofadministration or use and/or reduced overall expense of compoundpreparation or formulation.

Methods of Treatment

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of inhibitingPDE5 or increasing intracellular cGMP levels, particularly in arterialand corpus cavernosal smooth muscle, in a subject comprising the step ofadministering to said subject an effective amount of a compound ofFormula II, preferably combined in a composition with a pharmaceuticallyacceptable carrier.

Preferably the method is employed to treat a subject suffering from orsusceptible to one or more disease or disorder selected from erectiledysfunction, stable, unstable and variant angina, hypertension,pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acuterespiratory distress syndrome, malignant hypertension, pheochromocytoma,congestive heart failure, acute renal failure, chronic renal failure,atherosclerosis, conditions of reduced blood vessel patency, peripheralvascular diseases, vascular disorders, thrombocythemia, inflammatorydiseases, myocardial infarction, stroke, bronchitis, chronic asthma,allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, glaucoma, peptic ulcer, gut motilitydisorders, postpercutaneous transluminal coronary or carotidangioplasty, post-bypass surgery graft stenosis, osteoporosis, pretermlabor, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and irritable bowel syndrome, inhumans and in animals; erectile dysfunction in male humans and animals;and female arousal disorder in females. The method can also be employedto treat a subject suffering from or susceptible to one or more diseaseor disorder selected from low sperm count in males preventing successfulfertilization of an ovum; reducing insulin resistance; preventingischemia/reperfusion injury; preventing or treating a conditioninvolving fibrosis; and for alleviating pain or spasticity in a patientsuffering from spinal cord injury. Other embodiments include any of themethods herein wherein the subject is identified as in need of theindicated treatment.

Preferably, the method is used to treat a sexual disorder or acardiovascular disorder, More preferably, the sexual disorder isselected from erectile dysfunction or female arousal disorder. Mosatpreferably, the condition to be treated is erectile dysfunction.

Another aspect of the invention is a compound of Formula II for use inincreasing intracellular cGMP levels or inhibiting PDE5. Preferably thatuse is in the treatment or prevention in a subject of a disease,disorder or symptom set forth above.

Another aspect of the invention is use of a compound of Formula II inthe manufacture of a medicament for increasing intracellular cGMP levelsor inhibiting PDE5. Preferably, the medicament is used for treatment orprevention in a subject of a disease, disorder or symptom set forthabove.

In another embodiment, the method of treating one of the diseases,disorders or symptoms set forth above further comprises the step ofadministering to said patient a second therapeutic agent which alone orin combination with Compound 1 is effective to sexually deficient statesin humans with epilepsy, craniopharyngioma, hypogonadism, or who havehad a hysterectomyoophorectomy, hysterectomy or oophorectomy; or toinduce mating in non-human animals.

In yet another embodiment, the method of treatment comprises the furtherstep of administering to said patient a second therapeutic agent whichalone or in combination with Compound 1 is effective to treat one ormore of hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinaemia, hyperlipidaemia,hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes, insulin resistance, impaired glucosemetabolism, conditions of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), conditionsof impaired fasting plasma glucose, obesity, diabetic retinopathy,diabetic nephropathy, glomerulosclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, syndromeX, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, vascular restenosis,endothelial dysfunction, depression, epilepsy, faintness attacks,hypokinesia, cranial disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, depression,anxiety, panic, pain, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep disorders,osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, neuropathological disorders,visceral pain, functional bowel disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases,pain associated with dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, cystitis, pancreatitis,cyclical oedema, Menires disease, hyperaldosteroneism (primary andsecondary), hypercalciuria and lower urinary tract symptoms, other thanurinary incontinence, associated with overactive bladder and/or benignprostatic hyperplasia.

The second therapeutic agent may be administered together with acompound of Formula II as part of a single dosage form or as multipledosage forms. Alternatively, the second therapeutic agent may beadministered prior to, consecutively with, or following theadministration of a compound of this invention. In such combinationtherapy treatment, both the compounds of this invention and the secondtherapeutic agent(s) are administered by conventional methods. Theadministering of the second therapeutic agent may occur before,concurrently with, and/or after the administering of the compound ofthis invention. When the administration of the second therapeutic agentoccurs concurrently with a compound of this invention, the two (or more)agents may be administered in a single dosage form (such as acomposition of this invention comprising a compound of the invention anda second therapeutic agent as described above), or in separate dosageforms. The administration of a composition of this invention comprisingboth a compound of the invention and an additional therapeutic agent toa subject does not preclude the separate administration of saidtherapeutic agent, any other therapeutic agent or any compound of thisinvention to said subject at another time during a course of treatment.

Effective amounts of a second therapeutic agent useful in the methods ofthis invention are well known to those skilled in the art and guidancefor dosing may be found in patents referenced herein. However, it iswell within the skilled artisan's purview to determine the othertherapeutic agent's optimal effective-amount range. In one embodiment ofthe invention where a second therapeutic agent is administered to ananimal, the effective amount of the compound of this invention is lessthan its effective amount would be where the second therapeutic agent isnot administered. In another embodiment, the effective amount of thesecond therapeutic agent is less than its effective amount would bewhere the compound of this invention is not administered. In this way,undesired side effects associated with high doses of either agent may beminimized. Other potential advantages (including without limitationimproved dosing regimens and/or reduced drug cost) will be apparent tothose of skill in the art.

Second therapeutic agents useful in the method of treatment of thisinvention are the same as those described above as part of combinationcompositions.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a compound ofFormula II and one or more of the above-described second therapeuticagents, either in a single composition or as separate dosage forms foruse in the treatment or prevention in a subject of a disease, disorderor symptom set forth above.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides the use of a compound ofFormula II and one or more of the above-described second therapeuticagents in the manufacture of a medicament, either as a singlecomposition or as separate dosage forms, for treatment or prevention ina subject of a disease, disorder or symptom set forth above.

The compounds of this invention may be assayed in vitro by knownmethods. For instance, human PDE5 inhibition assays, and the relatedphosphodiesterases PDE3, PDE4, and PDE6, are commercially available fromMDS Pharma Services. Cerep (Paris, France) provides commercial assaysfor PDE1, PDE2, PDE3, PDE4, PDE5 and PDE6. Methodology for such assaysis also well known; see for instance Komas N et. al., Br. J. Pharmacol1991 104: 495; Wells J N, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1975 19: 430; andRotella D P et. al., J. Med. Chem. 2000 43: 1257. Increases inintracellular levels of cGMP in appropriate tissue is also readilydetermined; see for instance Daugan A C-M and Gellibert F, U.S. Pat. No.6,143,746 to ICOS. Thus, both enzymatic activity and specificity forcompounds of this invention, as well as cellular efficacy, are readilydetermined.

Animal models measuring antihypertensive activity are also available andprovide predictive in vivo measurement of PDE5 inhibitors' ability toeffect vasodilatation by increases in arterial smooth muscle cGMP levelsas well as the potency and length of action of the inhibitors. See e.g.Daugan A C-M and Gellibert F, U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,746 to ICOS; Daugan Aet. al. J. Med. Chem. 2003 46: 4533. Each of the compounds of thisinvention may be tested by such means. The compounds of this inventionmay also be tested by in vitro assays, to quantify their activity,resistance to liver metabolism by cellular or tissue exposure, or byisolated metabolic enzymes such as CYP3A4, or by in vivo pharmacokineticmeasurement (available commercially, e.g. from SRI Biosciences, MenloPark, Calif.; Covance, Princeton N.J.; Charles River Laboratories,Wilmington, Mass.; and Cerep, Seattle Wash.; among others) and comparedto Compound 1.

Diagnostic Methods and Kits

According to another embodiment, the invention provides a method ofdetermining the concentration of Compound 1 in a biological sample, saidmethod comprising the steps of:

a) adding a known concentration of a second compound to said biologicalsample, said second compound having the formula:

wherein:

X¹ and X² are simultaneously fluoro; or X¹ is deuterium and X² isselected from hydrogen or deuterium;

each Y is independently selected from deuterium or hydrogen;

the hydrogen attached to the indole nitrogen is optionally replaced bydeuterium; each carbon is independently optionally replaced by ¹³C; andwherein at least hydrogen is replaced by deuterium or at least onecarbon is replaced by ¹³C ;

b) subjecting said biological sample to a measuring device thatdistinguishes Compound 1 from said second compound;

c) calibrating said measuring device to correlate the detected quantityof Compound 1 with the known concentration of said second compound addedto said biological sample; and

d) determining the concentration of said compound in said biologicalsample by comparing the detected quantity of Compound 1 with thedetected quantity and known concentration of said second compound.

In one preferred embodiment, said second compound has the formula:

wherein:

Y is hydrogen or deuterium and;

each hydrogen atom is optionally substituted by deuterium and eachcarbon atom is optionally substituted by ¹³C .

Measuring devices that can distinguish Compound 1 from said secondcompound include any measuring device that can distinguish between twocompounds that are of identical structure except that one contains oneor more heavy atom isotope versus the other. Preferably, such ameasuring device is a mass spectrometer.

In a preferred embodiment, at least three combined hydrogen atoms andcarbons are, respectively, replaced by deuterium and ¹³C in said secondcompound; i.e. (total number of D)+(number of ¹³C)≧3.

In another preferred embodiment, the method comprises the additionalstep of organically extracting both Compound 1 and said second compoundfrom said biological sample prior to step b).

Compound 1 and the second compound will have similar solubility,extraction, and chromatographic properties, but significantly differentmolecular mass. Thus, the second compound is useful as an internalstandard in a method that comprises the step of organic extraction tomeasure the efficiency of that extraction and to ensure an accuratedetermination of the true concentration of Compound 1 (see Tuchman M andMcCann M T, Clin. Chem. 1999 45: 571; Leis H J et. al., J. MassSpectrom. 2001 36: 923; Taylor R L et. al. Clin. Chem. 2002 48: 1511).

The compounds of the present invention (the second compound) areparticularly useful in this method since they are not radioactive andtherefore do not pose a hazard to personnel handling the compounds.Thus, these methods do not require precautions beyond those normallyapplied in clinical sample analysis.

Furthermore, stably labeled isotopes have long been used to assist inresearch into the enzymatic mechanism of cytochrome P450 enzymes(Korzekwa K R et. al., Drug Metab. Rev. 1995 27: 45 and referencestherein; Kraus, J A and Guengerich, F P, J. Biol. Chem. 2005 280: 19496;Mitchell K H et. al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2003 109: 3784).

In another embodiment, the invention provides a diagnostic kitcomprising:

a) a compound having the compound having the formula:

wherein:

X¹ and X² are simultaneously fluoro; or X¹ is deuterium and X² isselected from hydrogen or deuterium;

each Y is independently selected from deuterium or hydrogen;

the hydrogen attached to the indole nitrogen is optionally replaced bydeuterium;

each carbon is independently optionally replaced by ¹³C ; and

at least hydrogen is replaced by deuterium or at least one carbon isreplaced by ¹³C; and

b) instructions for using said compound to determine the concentrationof a test compound in a biological sample.

In a preferred embodiment, said compound has the formula:

wherein:

Y is hydrogen or deuterium and;

each hydrogen atom is optionally substituted by deuterium and eachcarbon atom is optionally substituted by ¹³C.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of evaluating themetabolic stability of a compound of formula II, comprising the steps ofcontacting the compound of formula II with a metabolizing enzyme sourcefor a period of time; and comparing the amount of said compound to themetabolic products of said compound after said period of time.

In one preferred embodiment, the method comprises an additional step ofcomparing the amount of said compound to said metabolic products of saidcompound at an interval during said period of time. This method allowsthe determination of a rate of metabolism of said compound.

In another preferred embodiment, the method comprises the additionalsteps of contacting a compound of formula II with said metabolizingenzyme source; comparing the amount of said compound of formula II tothe metabolic products of said compound of formula II after said periodof time determining a rate of metabolism of said compound of formula I;and comparing the metabolic stability of Compound 1 to said compound offormula II. This method is useful in determining whether and at whichsites on a compound of formula II additional deuterium or ¹³Csubstitution would cause increases in metabolic stability. It is alsouseful in comparing the metabolic stability of a compound of formula IIwith the metabolic stability of Compound 1.

A metabolizing enzyme source may be a purified, isolated or partiallypurified metabolic protein, such as a cytochrome P450; a biologicalfraction, such as a liver microsome fraction; or a piece of ametabolizing organ, such as a liver slice.

The determination of the amount of compound and its metabolic productsis well known in the art. It is typically achieved by removing analiquot from the reaction mixture and subjecting it to an analysiscapable of distinguishing between the compound and its metabolites, suchas reversed-phase HPLC with UV absorption or mass spectroscopicdetection. Concentrations of both the metabolizing enzyme and thecompound may be varied to determine kinetic parameters, for instance, byusing appropriate nonlinear regression software such as is known in theart. By comparing the kinetic parameters of both a compound of formulaII and Compound 1 an apparent steady-state deuterium isotope effect(^(D)(V/K)) can be determined as the ratio of products formed in thehydrogen versus deuterium reactions.

The determination of a rate of metabolism of a compound of formula I maybe achieved in a reaction separate from the reaction for determining themetabolism rate of Compound 1. Alternatively, Compound 1 may be admixedwith a compound of formula I in a competition experiment to determinerates of disappearance of the two compounds, making use of analyticalinstrumentation capable of differentiating between the two compoundsbased on their mass differences.

In yet another embodiment, pre-steady state kinetics, such as V₀, may bedetermined by means known in the art, for instance, using quench-flowapparatus, by monitoring the quenched reactions at varying times aftermixing the compound or isotopologue with the metabolizing enzyme source.

In a related embodiment, the invention provides a kit comprising, inseparate vessels: a) Compound 1; and b) a metabolizing enzyme source.The kit is useful for comparing the metabolic stability of a compound offormula II with Compound 1, as well as evaluating the effect ofdeuterium and ¹³C replacement at various positions on a compound offormula II. In a preferred embodiment, the kit further comprisesinstructions for using Compound 1 and said metabolizing enzyme source toevaluate the metabolic stability of a compound of formula II.

In order that the invention might be more fully understood, thefollowing examples are set forth. They are not intended to limit thescope of the invention and further examples will be evident to those ofordinary skill in the art. In each example set forth herein, carbonshall be ¹²C, and hydrogen shall by ¹H, each incorporated at its naturalabundance, unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLE 1

2,2-Difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbaldehyde. A solution of 127 mmolof 5-bromo-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole in 200 mL of THF is cooledunder argon in a CO₂/acetone bath and treated with 1.05 equivalents ofn-BuLi in THF. The mixture is stirred for about 10 min in the cold, thentreated with 1.2 equivalents of DMF. The mixture is stirred for 30 minin the cold, then the cold bath is removed and the reaction is stirredfor 1.5 h at ambient temperature and then quenched with 150 mL ofsaturated ammonium chloride solution. The organic layer is separated andthe aqueous layer is washed 2× with ether. The combined organics arewashed with brine, dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo. Silicagel chromatography (EtOAc/hexanes eluant) yields the title compound.

EXAMPLE 2

5-Bromo-6-deutero-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole. A solution of 24mmol of 5,6-dibromo-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole (Chemos GmbH,Regenstauf, Germany) in 40 mL of THF is cooled under argon in aCO₂/acetone bath and treated with 0.98 equivalents of n-BuLi in THF. Themixture is stirred for about 10 min in the cold, then treated with 1 mLof D₂O. The mixture is stirred for 15 min in the cold, then the coldbath is removed and stirring is continued for 1.5 h, then quenched with40 mL of saturated ammonium chloride solution. The organic layer is thenseparated and the aqueous layer is washed 2× with ether. The combinedorganics are washed with brine, dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated invacuo. Silica gel chromatography (ether/hexanes eluant) yields the titlecompound.

EXAMPLE 3

6-Deutero-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbaldehyde. A 13.2 mmolportion of the product of Example 2 is formylated using the generalprocedure described in example 1 yielding, after silica gelchromatography with EtOAc/hexanes eluant, the title product.

EXAMPLE 4

2,2-Difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-deuterocarbaldehyde. A 32.2 mmolsample of of 5-bromo-2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole is formylatedusing the general procedure described in example 1 except usingN,N-dimethylformamide-1-d as the formylating reagent to yield, aftersilica gel chromatography with EtOAc/hexanes eluant, the title product.

EXAMPLE 5

(1R,3R)-Methyl1-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-dioxo1-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula IV, wherein E is methyl and each Y group is hydrogen). Asolution of 37.4 mmol of D-tryptophan methyl ester and 41.1 mmol of theproduct of Example 1 in 220 mL of methylene chloride is cooled underargon in a —5° C. bath and treated with 5.4 mL of trifluoroacetic acid.The mixture is stirred for 30 min, the ice bath is removed, and stirringis continued for 17 h at room temperature. The reaction is again cooledin an ice bath and rendered slightly basic (pH ˜8.5-9) by portionwiseaddition of saturated NaHCO₃ solution. After stirring an additional 45min, the reaction is washed with 1 N NaHCO₃ and the aqueous layerextracted twice with additional methylene chloride. The combined organiclayers are washed with half-saturated brine, dried over MgSO₄ andconcentrated, yielding the title compound. Silica gel flashchromatography (CH₃OH/CH₂Cl₂ eluent) yields the title product as thefaster-moving product component while later fractions comprise the(1S,3R) stereoisomer.

EXAMPLE 6

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-chloroacetyl)-1-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula V, wherein E is methyl and each Y group is hydrogen). A 12.7mmol portion of the product of example 5 in 80 mL of methylene chlorideis treated with 15.2 mmol of sodium bicarbonate and cooled in anice/water bath under an argon atmosphere. The mixture is stirredvigorously and treated dropwise with 30.7 mmol of chloroacetyl chloride.After stirring for 10 min the ice bath is removed and stirring iscontinued for 1.5 h at room temperature. The mixture is partitionedbetween 150 mL each ether and saturated NaHCO₃, and the organic layer iswashed with water, then brine, and dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated invacuo. The resulting product is used in subsequent reactions withoutfurther purification.

EXAMPLE 7

(6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-Difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxo1-5-yl)-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2-trideuteromethyl-1,4-dione(Formula III wherein Y^(9a), Y^(9b), and Y^(9c) are deuterium and allother Y groups are hydrogen). A solution of 8.2 mmol of the product ofexample 6 in 30 mL of methanol is treated with 41 mmol of methylamine-d₅(Isotec) as an 18% solution in methanol. The mixture is heated at 50° C.under argon for 17 h, then concentrated in vacuo. The residue isdissolved in methylene chloride and washed with water (2×) and halfsaturated brine, then dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo. Silicagel chromatography with methylene chloride/methanol as eluant yields thetitle product.

EXAMPLE 8

(1R,3R)-Methyl1-(6-deutero-2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-dioxo1-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula IV, wherein E is methyl, Y⁴ is deuterium and all other Y groupsare hydrogen). A sample of the product of Example 3 (6.6 mmol) isreacted with 38.5 mmol of D-tryptophan methyl ester using the generalprocedure described in example 5, yielding the mixed cis-trans product.Silica gel flash chromatography (CH₃OH/CH₂Cl₂ eluent) of the product ofexample 8 gives the title product as the faster-moving productcomponent.

EXAMPLE 9

(6R,12aR)-6-(6-Deutero-2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxo1-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula III wherein Y⁴ is deuterium and all other Y groups arehydrogen). A portion of the product of example 8 (8.7 mmol) is reactedwith methylamine (as a 33% (weight) solution in ethanol) using thegeneral procedure described in example 6 yielding, after silica gelchromatography with methylene chloride/methanol as eluant, the titleproduct.

EXAMPLE 10

(1S,3R)-Methyl1-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-1-deutero-2-propionyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula IV, wherein E is methyl, Y⁷ is deuterium and all other Y groupsare hydrogen). An 18.7 mmol sample of the product of Example 4 issubjected to Pictet-Spengler cyclization with 20.6 mmol of D-tryptophanmethyl ester and 2.7 mL of CF₃CO₂D using the general procedure describedin Example 5 yielding, after silica gel chromatography with methylenechloride/methanol as eluant, the title product as the faster-movingproduct component.

EXAMPLE 11

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-chloroacetyl)-1-deutero-1-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula V, wherein E is methyl, Y⁷ is deuterium and all other Y groupsare hydrogen). A 5.7 mmol portion of the product of Example 10 ischloracetylated according to the general procedure described in Example6. The resulting product is used in subsequent reactions without furtherpurification.

EXAMPLE 12

(6R,12aR)-6-Deutero-6-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula III wherein Y⁷ is deuterium and all other Y groups arehydrogen). A solution of 3.9 mmol of the product of Example 11 isreacted with methylamine using the general procedure described inExample 9 yielding, after silica gel chromatography with methylenechloride/methanol as eluant, the title product.

EXAMPLE 13

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-dideuterochloroacetyl)-1-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula V, wherein E is methyl, Y^(8a) and Y^(8b) are deuterium and allother Y groups are hydrogen). A solution of 6.8 mmol of chloroaceticacid-d₃ (C/D/N Isotopes) and 7.2 mmol of diisopropylethylamine in 18 mLof methylene chloride is cooled in an ice/methanol bath under argon andtreated dropwise with 6.8 mmol of pivaloyl chloride. The solution isstirred for 20 min, then treated with a solution of 4.5 mmol of theproduct of example 5 and 4.5 mmol of diisopropylethylamine in 2 mL ofmethylene chloride. The solution is stirred for 16 h at 0° C., thenpartitioned between 15 mL each of ether and saturated NaHCO₃, and theorganic layer is washed brine, dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated invacuo. The product is used for subsequent reactions without furtherpurification.

EXAMPLE 14

(6R,12aR)-3,3-Dideutero-6-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula III wherein Y^(8a) and Y^(8b) are deuterium and all other Ygroups are hydrogen). The entire product of the product of Example 13,save a ˜2 mg retained portion, are reacted with methylamine using thegeneral procedure described in Example 9 yielding, after silica gelchromatography with methylene chloride/methanol as eluant, the titleproduct.

EXAMPLE 15

(6R,12aR)-6-Deutero-6-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxo1-5-yl)-2-methyl-¹³C-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula III wherein Y⁷ is deuterium and all other Y groups arehydrogen, and the N-methyl group is substituted with ¹³C). Aheavy-walled pressure vial is charged with a 2.6 mmol portion of productof example 11 in 12 mL of methanol. The solution is treated with 5.2mmol of methyl-¹³C-amine hydrochloride (Isotec) and 5.2 mmol ofdiisopropylethylamine. The vial is sealed and heated at 50° C. for 16 h,then the reaction is concentrated in vacuo, the residue partitionedbetween methylene chloride and water, and the organic layer washed withhalf saturated brine, dried over MgSO₄, and concentrated in vacuo.Silica gel chromatography with methylene chloride/methanol as eluantyields the title compound.

EXAMPLE 16

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-chloroacetyl-2-¹³C)-1-deutero-1-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula V, wherein E is methyl, Y⁷ is deuterium and all other Y groupsare hydrogen and the chloroacetyl methylene group is substituted with¹³C). A 1.8 mmol portion of the product of Example 10 ischloroacetylated using the general procedure described in Example 13except substituting chloroacetic acid-2-¹³C (Isotec) in place ofchloroacetic acid-d₃. Following workup, the product is used withoutsubsequent purification.

EXAMPLE 17

(6R,12aR)-6-Deutero-6-(2,2-difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione-3-¹³C(Formula III wherein Y⁷ is deuterium and all other Y groups arehydrogen, and the unsubstituted methylene of the dioxopiperazine ring issubstituted with ¹³C). The entire product of the product of Example 16,save a ˜2 mg retained portion, are reacted with methylamine using thegeneral procedure described in Example 9 yielding, after silica gelchromatography with methylene chloride/methanol as eluant, the titleproduct.

EXAMPLE 18

(6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-Difluorobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxo1-5-yl)-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2-methyl-1,4-dione(Compound 2). A solution of 31.7 mmol of the product of example 6 in 100mL of methanol is treated with 160 mmol of methylamine as a 33% solutionin ethanol. The mixture is heated at 50° C. under argon for 18 h, thenconcentrated in vacuo. The residue is dissolved in methylene chlorideand washed with water (2×) and half saturated brine, then dried overMgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo. Silica gel chromatography withmethylene chloride/methanol as eluant yields the title product.

EXAMPLE 19

Deuterodibromomethane. A solution of 1.1 mole of sodium deuteroxide in140 mL of deuterium oxide is treated under argon with 116 mmol ofarsenious oxide to form a solution of sodium arsenite. Bromoform (190mmol) is treated under argon with 6.5 mL of ethanol-d (CH₃CH₂OD) and 1mL of the sodium arsenite solution and warmed briefly (heat gun) toinitiate reaction. The remainder of the sodium arsenite solution isadded via dropping funnel at a rate to maintain gentle reflux. Then themixture is heated in a 100° C. oil bath for an additional 4.5 h. Themixture is azeotropically distilled, then the distillate is separatedand the aqueous layer extracted with 15 mL of pentane. The organiclayers are combined, dried over CaCl₂, and distilled to yield the titlecompound.

EXAMPLE 20

2-deuterobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbaldehyde (Formula XII wherein X¹ isD and X² is H). A solution of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (20 mmol) in 60mL of dimethylformamide (DMF) is treated under argon with 60 mmol of theproduct of example 1 and 70 mmol of CsF. The mixture is heated in a 140°C. oil bath for 3 h with vigorous stirring. The mixture is thenfiltered, concentrated in vacuo, and the residue is purified by silicagel flash chromatography (ether/hexanes eluant), yielding the titleproduct.

EXAMPLE 21

2,2-dideuterobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carboxaldehyde (Formula XII whereinX¹═X²=D). To a solution of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (4.8 g, 32.1 mmol)in anhydrous DMF (120 mL) was added cesium carbonate (15.7 g, 48.2 mmol)followed by dideuterodiiodomethane (13 g, 48.2 mmol). The resultingmixture was heated at 110° C. for 2 hours, cooled to room temperature,diluted with water (300 mL), and extracted with MTBE (3×300 mL). Thecombined organic layers were washed with 10 wt % potassium carbonate(200 mL), brine (2×400 mL), dried over sodium sulfate, and evaporated invacuo to give the title product as brown oil in quantitative yield.

EXAMPLE 22

(1R,3R)-Methyl1-(2-deuterobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula XIII, wherein X¹ is D, X² is H, and E is methyl). A solution of12.7 mmol of D-tryptophan methyl ester and 13.9 mmol of the product ofExample 21 in 80 mL of methylene chloride is cooled under argon in a −5°C. bath and treated with 1.9 mL of deuterotrifluoroacetic acid(CF₃CO₂D). The mixture is stirred for 30 min, the ice bath is removed,and stirring is continued for 21 h at room temperature. The reaction isagain cooled in an ice bath and rendered slightly basic (pH ˜8.5-9) byportionwise addition of saturated NaHCO₃ solution. After stirring anadditional 45 min, the reaction is washed with 1 N NaHCO₃ and theaqueous layer extracted twice with additional methylene chloride. Thecombined organic layers are washed with half-saturated brine, dried overMgSO₄ and concentrated, yielding the title compound. Silica gel flashchromatography (CH₃OH/CH₂Cl₂ eluent) yields the title product as thefaster-moving product component while later fractions comprise the(1S,3R) stereoisomer.

EXAMPLE 23

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-chloroacetyl)-1-(2-deuterobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula XIV wherein X¹ is D, X² is H, and E is methyl). A 4.1 mmolportion of the product of Example 22 in 30 mL of methylene chloride istreated with 5.0 mmol of sodium bicarbonate and cooled in an ice/waterbath under an argon atmosphere. The mixture is stirred vigorously andtreated dropwise with 9.9 mmol of chloroacetyl chloride. After stirringfor 10 min the ice bath is removed and stirring is continued for 1.5 hat room temperature. The mixture is partitioned between 60 mL each etherand saturated NaHCO₃, and the organic layer is washed with water, thenbrine, and dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo. Crystallizationfrom ether/hexanes yields the title product.

EXAMPLE 24

(6R,12aR)-6-(2-deuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula IV wherein Y═H). A solution of 1.8 mmol of the product ofExample 23 in 30 mL of methanol is treated with 9 mmol of methylamine(as a 33% (weight) solution in ethanol). The mixture is heated at 50° C.under argon for 17 h, then concentrated in vacuo. The residue isdissolved in methylene chloride and washed with water (2×) and halfsaturated brine, then dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo.Recrystallization from 2-propanol yields the title compound.

EXAMPLE 25

(1R,3R)-Methyl1-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula XIV, wherein X¹═X²=D, and E is methyl). To a suspension ofO-tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride (22.9 g, 90 mmol) in anhydrousDCM (250 mL) at 0° C. was added triethylamine (12.6 mL, 90 mmol). To thesolution formed above was added a solution of Example 21 (ca. 98.8 mmol)in anhydrous DCM (200 mL) followed by 4 Å molecular sieves (powder, 25g). Then TFA (13.5 mL, 180 mmol) was added dropwise at 0° C. Afteraddition the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 5days. After the reaction was deemed over 70% complete, it was quenchedby slowly adding saturated sodium bicarbonate (300 mL). The mixture wasfiltered over a celite cake and washed with DCM. The aqueous layer wasseparated and extracted with DCM (2×300 mL). The combined organic layerswere dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo to give a cruderesidue that was purified on a silica gel column with 1% MeOH in DCM aseluent to give the title product (10.1 g) as a tan foam.

EXAMPLE 26

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-chloroacetyl)-1-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate(Formula XV wherein X¹═X²=D, Z═Cl, and E is methyl). To a solution ofExample 25 (4.29, 11.9 mmol) and triethylamine (3.4 mL, 23.8 mmol) inanhydrous DCM (100 mL) at 0° C. was added dropwise chloroacetyl chloride(1.14 mL, 14.3 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred 2 hours at 0° C.and quenched with water (100 mL). The aqueous layer was separated andextracted with DCM (2×100 mL). The combined organic layers were driedover sodium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo to give the title compoundas tan foam.

EXAMPLE 27

(6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula II wherein X¹═X²=D). The crude residue of Example 26 wasdissolved in 2.0 M methylamine (100 mL) and stirred overnight at roomtemperature. The precipitate was filtered and washed with small amountof methanol to give the title compound (2.2 g) as a white fluffy solid.

EXAMPLE 28

(1R,3R)-Methyl2-(2-chloroacetyl-2-¹³C)-1-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-dioxol-5-yl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4,-b]indole-3-carboxylate.A solution of 2.3 mmol of chloroacetic acid-2-¹³C (Isotec) and 2.3 mmolof diisopropylethylamine in 4 mmol of methylene chloride is cooled in anice/methanol bath under argon and treated dropwise with 2.2 mmol ofpivaloyl chloride. The solution is stirred for 20 min, then treated witha solution of 2.2 mmol of the product of Example 25 and 2.2 mmol ofdiisopropylethylamine in 1 mL of methylene chloride. The solution isstirred for 16 h at 0° C., then partitioned between 15 mL each of etherand saturated NaHCO₃, and the organic layer is washed brine, dried overMgSO₄ and concentrated in vacuo. Crystallization from ether/hexanesyields the title product.

EXAMPLE 29

(6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione-3-¹³C.A solution of 0.6 mmol of the product of Example 28 is reacted withmethylamine using the general procedure described in Example 24yielding, after crystallization from 2-propanol, the title product.

EXAMPLE 30

(6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2-trideuteromethyl-1,4-dione.(Formula II wherein X¹═X²=D and Y^(9a)═Y^(9b)═Y^(9c)=D). The compoundfrom Example 26 (ca. 18.9 mmol) generated above was dissolved in 2.0 Mtrideuteromethylamine (75 mL), stirred overnight at room temperature,and heated at 35° C. in a sealed flask for 4 hours. The precipitate wasfiltered and washed with small amount of methanol to give the titlecompound (3.11 g) as a white solid.

EXAMPLE 31

(6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-¹³C-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione.A heavy-walled pressure vial is charged with a 0.96 mmol portion ofproduct of Example 26 in 8 mL of methanol. The solution is treated with1.9 mmol of methyl-¹³C-amine hydrochloride (Isotec) and 1.9 mmol ofdiisopropylethylamine. The vial is sealed and heated at 50° C. for 17 h,then the reaction is concentrated in vacuo, the residue partitionedbetween methylene chloride and water, and the organic layer washed withhalf saturated brine, dried over MgSO₄, and concentrated in vacuo.Crystallization from 2-propanol yields the title compound.

EXAMPLE 32

6R,12aR)-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-¹³C-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione-3-¹³C.A 0.6 mmol portion of the product of example 10 is reacted withmethyl-¹³C-amine hydrochloride using the general procedure described inExample 31 to yield the title product.

EXAMPLE 33

Inhibition of PDE5 and subtype selectivity. Activity of test compoundsin PDE5 human isoform inhibition is conducted by MDS Pharma Servicesusing essentially the protocol of Hidaka H and Asano T, Biochim.Biophys. Acta 1976 429: 485. Counterscreens using PDE1 and PDE6 are alsocarried out by MDS Pharma Services. These tests demonstrate nanomolaractivity of each tested compound of formula II.

EXAMPLE 34

2,2-dideuterobenzo[1,3]dioxole-5-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (FormulaXVI). To a solution of ethyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (25.3 g, 139.0 mmol)in anhydrous DMF (560 mL) was added cesium carbonate (54.3 g, 166.8mmol) followed by dideuterodiiodomethane (45 g, 166.8 mmol). Theresulting mixture was heated at 110° C. for 2 hours, cooled to roomtemperature, diluted with water (1.0 L), and extracted with MTBE (3×1.0L). The combined organic layers were washed with 10 wt % potassiumcarbonate (1.0 L), brine (2×1.0 L), dried over sodium sulfate, andevaporated in vacuo to give the title compound as tan oil inquantitative yield.

EXAMPLE 35

1-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-1,1-dideuteromethanol (FormulaXVII). To a solution of Example 34 (ca. 156.0 mmol) in anhydrous THF(300 mL) at −78° C. was added lithium aluminum deuteride (6.54 g, 156.0mmol) in portions. The reaction mixture was allowed to warm to roomtemperature automatically, stirred at ambient temperature overnight,cooled to 0° C., quenched with saturated ammonium chloride (500 mL), andextracted with ethyl acetate (3×400 mL). The combined organic layerswere dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo to give the titlecompound (20.8 g, 85%) as tan oil in quantitative yield.

EXAMPLE 36

2,2-dideuterobenzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-deuterocarboxaldehyde (Formula XIIwherein X¹═X²=D and Y⁷=D). To a solution of oxalyl chloride (13.9 mL,160.0 mmol) in anhydrous dichloromethane (250 mL) at −78° C. was addeddropwise DMSO (12.5 g, 160 mmol) dissolved in anhydrous DCM (100 mL).The mixture was stirred 1 hour at −78° C. and then a solution of Example35 (20.8 g, 133.2 mmol) in anhydrous DCM (200 mL) was added. The newlyformed reaction mixture was stirred another hour at −78° C. andtriethylamine (61.7 mL, 440 mmol) was added dropwise. The reactionmixture was allowed to warm to room temperature automatically overnight.Then the reaction was quenched with water (500 mL) and the layers weresplit. The aqueous layer was extracted with DCM (2×400 mL). The combinedorganic layer was washed with brine (2×500 mL) and water (500 mL), driedover sodium sulfate, and evaporated in vacuo to give the title compoundas tan oil in quantitative yield.

EXAMPLE 37

(6R,12aR)-6-deutero-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-2-trideuteromethyl-1,4-dione(Formula II wherein X¹═X²=D and Y⁷═Y^(9a)═Y^(9b)═Y^(9d)=D). O-tryptophanmethyl ester hydrochloride was reacted with the product from Example 36according to the synthetic steps described for Examples 25, 26 and 30 toprovide the title compound.

EXAMPLE 38

(6R,12aR)-6-deutero-6-(2,2-dideuterobenzo[d]-1,3-dioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-1,2,3,4,6,7,12,12a-octahydropyrazino[1′,2′:1,6]pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione(Formula II wherein X¹═X²=D and Y⁷=D). O-tryptophan methyl esterhydrochloride was reacted with the product from Example 36 according tothe synthetic steps described for Examples 25, 26 and 27 to provide thetitle compound.

EXAMPLE 39

Hypotensive effects in the spontaneous hypertensive rat model. Effectsof the products of examples 7, 9, 12, 18, 27 and 30 are tested by oraladministration to spontaneously hypertensive rats at Cerep, usingessentially the procedure of Bazil M K et. al., J. Cardiovasc.Pharmacol. 1993 22: 897 and a sample size of 8 rats per group. Eachcompound demonstrates significant reductions in blood pressure sustainedover 8 h when dosed at 10 mg/kg.

Human Microsomal Assay: The metabolic stability of the present compoundsmay be evaluated in one or more microsomal assays that are known in theart. See, for example, Obach, R. S. Drug Metab Disp 1999, 27, p. 1350“Prediction of human clearance of twenty-nine drugs from hepaticmicrosomal intrinsic clearance data: An examination of in vitrohalf-life approach and nonspecific binding to microsomes”; Houston, J.B. et al., Drug Metab Rev 1997, 29, p. 891 “Prediction of hepaticclearance from microsomes, hepatocytes, and liver slices”; Houston, J.B. Biochem Pharmacol 1994, 47, p. 1469 “Utility of in vitro drugmetabolism data in predicting in vivo metabolic clearance”; Iwatsubo, Tet al., Pharmacol Ther 1997, 73, p. 147 “Prediction of in vivo drugmetabolism in the human liver from in vitro metabolism data”; and Lave,T. et al., Pharm Res 1997, 14, p. 152 “The use of human hepatocytes toselect compounds based on their expected hepatic extraction ratios inhumans”; each of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

The objectives of this study were to determine the metabolic stabilityof the test compounds in pooled liver microsomal incubations and toperform full scan LC-MS analysis for the detection of major metabolites.Samples of the test compounds, exposed to pooled human liver microsomes,were analyzed using HPLC-MS (or MS/MS) detection. For determiningmetabolic stability, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used tomeasure the disappearance of the test compounds. For metabolitedetection, Q1 full scans were used as survey scans to detect the majormetabolites.

Experimental Procedures: Human liver microsomes were obtained fromAbsorption Systems L. P. (Exton, Pa.). Details about the matrices usedin the experiments are shown in the table below. The incubation mixturewas prepared as follows:

Reaction Mixture Composition Liver Microsomes 1.0 mg/mL NADPH 1 mMPotassium Phosphate, pH 7.4 100 mM Magnesium Chloride 10 mM TestCompound 1 μM

Incubation of Test Compounds with Liver Microsomes: The reactionmixture, minus cofactors, was prepared. An aliquot of the reactionmixture (without cofactors) was incubated in a shaking water bath at 37°C. for 3 minutes. Another aliquot of the reaction mixture was preparedas the negative control. The test compound was added into both thereaction mixture and the negative control at a final concentration of 1μM. An aliquot of the reaction mixture was prepared as a blank control,by the addition of plain organic solvent (not the test compound). Thereaction was initiated by the addition of cofactors (not into thenegative controls), and then incubated in a shaking water bath at 37° C.Aliquots (200 μL) were withdrawn in triplicate at 0, 15, 30, 60, and 120minutes and combined with 800 μL of ice-cold 50/50 acetonitrile/dH₂O toterminate the reaction. The positive controls, testosterone andpropranolol, were run simultaneously with the test compounds in separatereactions.

All samples were analyzed using LC-MS (or MS/MS). An LC-MRM-MS/MS methodwas used for metabolic stability. Also, Q1 full scan LC-MS methods wereperformed on the blank matrix and the test compound incubation samples.The Q1 scans served as survey scans to identify any sample unique peaksthat might represent the possible metabolites. The masses of thesepotential metabolites can be determined from the Q1 scans.

Results: Metabolic Stability:

Example R₁ R Control - tadalafil A CH3 H B CH3 D C CD3 H D CD3 DTest compounds A-D were evaluated in the human microsomal assaydescribed above along with tadalafil as a control. After 60 minutes ofexposure in the microsomal assay, deuterated analogs A-D were moreresistant to microsomal degradation than non-deuterated tadalafil. Theresults indicated that the deuterium substitution in the compounds ofthe invention was effective in slowing cytochrome-mediated oxidation.

All references cited herein, whether in print, electronic, computerreadable storage media or other form, are expressly incorporated byreference in their entirety, including but not limited to, abstracts,articles, journals, publications, texts, treatises, technical datasheets, internet web sites, databases, patents, patent applications, andpatent publications.

The recitation of a listing of chemical groups in any definition of avariable herein includes definitions of that variable as any singlegroup or combination of listed groups. The recitation of an embodimentfor a variable herein includes that embodiment as any single embodimentor in combination with any other embodiments or portions thereof.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1. An isolated compound of Formula II:

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; wherein: X¹ is deuteriumand X² is selected from hydrogen and deuterium; each of Y³, Y⁴, Y⁶, Y⁷,Y^(8a), Y^(8b), Y^(9a), Y^(9b), Y^(9c), Y¹⁰, Y^(11a), Y^(11b), Y¹³, Y¹⁴,Y¹⁵, and Y¹⁶ is independently selected from deuterium or hydrogen; andthe hydrogen attached to the indole nitrogen is optionally replaced bydeuterium.
 2. The compound according to claim 1, wherein at least one Yis deuterium.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The compound according to claim 1,wherein said compound is deuterated at one or more of: a. Y⁴; b. Y⁷; c.Y^(8a) and Y^(8b) simultaneously; or d. Y^(9a), Y^(9b) and, Y^(9c)simultaneously. 5.-7. (canceled)
 8. The compound according to claim 1,wherein X¹ and X² are simultaneously deuterium.
 9. The compoundaccording to claim 8, wherein at least three Y are deuterium. 10.(canceled)
 11. The compound according to claim 1, wherein all hydrogenatoms not replaced by deuterium and all carbon atoms not replaced by ¹³Care present at their natural isotopic abundance. 12.-13. (canceled) 14.A composition comprising an effective amount of a compound according toclaim 1; and an acceptable carrier.
 15. The composition according toclaim 14, wherein said composition is formulated for pharmaceutical use,and wherein the carrier is a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.16.-18. (canceled)
 19. A method for inhibiting PDE5 activity in asubject, the method comprising administering to the subject an effectiveamount of a compound of claim
 1. 20. A method for increasing cGMP levelsin arterial wall tissue or in corpus cavernosal smooth muscle in asubject, the method comprising administering to the subject an effectiveamount of a compound of claim
 1. 21. A method for treating a subjectsuffering from or susceptible to erectile dysfunction; stable, unstableand variant angina; hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratory distress syndrome,malignant hypertension, pheochromocytoma, congestive heart failure,acute renal failure, chronic renal failure, atherosclerosis, conditionsof reduced blood vessel patency, peripheral vascular diseases, vasculardisorders, thrombocythemia, inflammatory diseases, myocardialinfarction, stroke, bronchitis, chronic asthma, allergic asthma,allergic rhinitis, glaucoma, peptic ulcer, gut motility disorders,postpercutaneous transluminal coronary or carotid angioplasty,post-bypass surgery graft stenosis, osteoporosis, preterm labor, benignprostatic hypertrophy, irritable bowel syndrome, erectile dysfunction inanimals, female arousal disorder in females; low sperm count, for thepurpose of promoting fertilization of an ovum; reducing insulinresistance, stimulating ovarian follicular growth, preventing ortreating a condition involving fibrosis, and for alleviating pain orspasticity in a patient suffering from spinal cord injury, said methodcomprising the step of administering to said subject a compositioncomprising an effective amount of a compound of claim 1 and anacceptable carrier.
 22. The method according to claim 21, wherein themethod is useful to alleviate or prevent erectile dysfunction. 23.-25.(canceled)
 26. The method according to claim 21, wherein the method isuseful to alleviate or prevent hypertension. 27.-28. (canceled)
 29. Themethod according to claim 21, wherein the method is useful to alleviateor prevent vascular disorders.
 30. (canceled)
 31. The method accordingto claim 21, wherein the method is useful to alleviate or prevent benignprostatic hypertrophy. 32.-47. (canceled)
 48. A compound of formulaXIIIa

wherein: D is deuterium; Y is selected from hydrogen or deuterium; eachcarbon atom is optionally replaced by ¹³C; and each hydrogen atom isoptionally replaced by deuterium.
 49. The compound according to claim48, wherein Y is deuterium.
 50. The compound according to claim 49,wherein all hydrogen atoms and all carbon atoms, are present at theirnatural isotopic abundance. 51.-89. (canceled)